Rebirth
by Mystic Dragon
Summary: When Conan realizes that the item Kaitou Kid stole was part of a giant trap set up by the Black Organization, it's the beginning of the end of a series of events that leads up to a final confrontation with the deadly syndicate.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Detective Conan or its characters! Never have, never will!

This story will have spoiler warnings for up to chapter 703. I took some liberties with one of the situations in the later chapters to further the story. It's fanfiction, after all.

Spoilers for Magic Kaitou…not much to speak about, seeing as there are only about 28 chapters of it.

For those that haven't read the MK manga (SPOILER WARNING in this explanation)…

…Jackal is an international jewel thief (he makes an appearance in the 4th Conan OVA), and Snake is an operative that might have had something to do with the death of the first Kaitou Kid.

I try not to use too much Japanese in my stories, but sometimes, it expresses feelings and ideas better than the English equivalent.

Japanese used in this chapter:

"Ba'a'rou" - a slurred "Baka Yarou", which basically means "idiot"

"Tantei" – Means "detective"

* * *

**Rebirth**

Chapter 1

Figuring out the riddle had been simple enough. So had getting to the location and being ready for a good chase. It hadn't been the first time that Conan went up against the Kaitou Kid, after all.

The easiest would have been to get to the roof of the building the Kid was going to steal from…except Nakamori had taken extra measures that night. That, or the Kaitou Kid Task Force was just overzealous. Even as a kid, he couldn't sneak past all the guards.

So, he tried to calculate the escape path, and figured he would head off Kid along there. For that reason, he had his skateboard stuck in his backpack.

He had come prepared, of course…the belt that released soccer balls, the sleeping darts, the power shoes…though, those were three gadgets that he rarely left the Agency without.

Tonight, though, as he snuck away from a cheering Sonoko and a slightly exasperated Ran, he had an ominous feeling.

Like something or someone was _watching_, and that someone didn't have any good intentions. The question was, who was watching, and _whom_ were they watching.

Were they there for Kid? Or something else?

Conan frowned as he jogged away. _The target of the heist isn't a gem, per say. It's rumored to be a formula to create a gemstone or something like it with glass and chemicals. Even the name is weird… "Equation for Youth". _

He knew that, if he could figure out exactly what the problem was with the item, he could answer his own questions about the feeling he had about the heist.

Nobody else seemed to feel that way, though, as they stood below the twenty story building with signs to support Kaitou Kid in his newest endeavor.

Conan paused and glanced up at the sky. _What's also strange about this heist is the way it was done. Two notes were sent…and from what I heard, the first was a challenge to Kid. That's never a good sign._

Though, Kid had gotten out of those kinds of situations before.

But then, why did he feel so anxious about it?

Conan rounded a bend, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Parked along the side of the road, with two shadowy figures inside, was a 365A Porche.

A black one.

A wisp of smoke rose from one of the windows, which indicated that one of them was smoking.

Conan inched forward, eyes wide as he tried to contain his trembling. He had found them…Gin's car. At an event that he least expected to.

Thoughts of Kaitou Kid and apprehending him were thrown aside as he hid himself in a nearby alleyway. He wasn't too close, but not too far. Neither were speaking, but he identified the two in the car to be Gin and Vodka.

The car was parked so it faced away from the heist building, but it was obvious that someone was watching what was happening behind them since Conan could hear the muffled voice of Gin speaking over the phone a moment after the crowd behind them cheered.

"Wait for your chance. That white bird usually takes flight. He cant dodge in the air."

Conan shivered. _Their target…is Kid? Why? He's been targeted by various people before, but never by them…what's going on?_

Even worse was that there was just about nothing he could do. Gin and Vodka were right in front of him, but he couldn't do a thing against them. Not if he wanted to find their boss. He had to go for the root. Even if Gin and Vodka were ever arrested, the Organization would still exist as long as the boss was out there.

Not that Conan wouldn't mind seeing Gin behind bars. If there was ever a person that deserved a cold prison cell, it was Gin.

Another cheer from behind. Conan risked a glance around the alleyway, and saw a swarm of copters that seemed to circle the roof.

A chill ran down Conan's spine. _He's on the roof, then…he'll use his glider to get away. But when he does…dammit, where's their companion hiding?!_

Conan scanned the area for any sign of a location where a sniper could hide as he dashed out of the alley. He would have to give up on tracking Gin and Vodka in light of finding the sniper. There were buildings all around them, and only a couple were too small to be possibilities.

Though, if it was a sniper, there was also a chance that they were aiming from a farther location. But to aim at someone in the air, that person would have to be on a high floor to ensure the bullet hitting its target.

Conan zoomed in on some of the buildings using his glasses, then halted when he saw the glint of light that reflected off of something from the helicopters in the area.

A scope.

The sniper was to far…he wouldn't be able to hit them or intercept the bullet with the soccer ball. He was on the ground, so even if he cranked the volume up all the way on the bowtie, Kid wouldn't hear him over the cheers of the crowd.

Conan cursed as he looked up. Kid was soaring towards their area, now…if the sniper was going to shoot him, now was the time.

And, if Conan couldn't hit the sniper, then maybe he could hit Kid. To avoid the copters, Kid was flying a little lower than normal.

Conan idly wondered if the Organization had hijacked one of the copters to force Kid on a low trajectory to make it easier to shoot him.

He pushed that thought aside, and when he saw the finger that hovered over the trigger of the gun he had been zeroed in on move, he made his own move.

In a split second, he released a soccer ball after powering up his shoes, then kicked it up and slightly on an angle. With the shoes boosting the power, it would hopefully fly up high enough to make Kid realize it was there.

It wouldn't look strange to the Organization, either, since Conan had stopped Kid a couple times before with a soccer ball. They would just think that the little detective was trying to knock Kid out of the sky.

Kid, indeed, had to dodge the soccer ball, and banked to the side just as the gun went off.

Still, it wasn't a perfect dodge, and the bullet hit the thief somewhere in his left shoulder and continued on to knock out one of the supports of the glider.

Thus, the glider folded a bit, and Kid was headed for a crash landing.

Conan glanced up through the glasses again, but the sniper was gone.

Their target hadn't been killed, so that left the Organization with two choices…

Either give up tonight and try again another night, or go to the place where Kid was spiraling towards and finish the job right there and then.

Conan jumped on his skateboard and tore off towards the area, taking back streets and alleyways to get there faster than taking the roads. Plus, he didn't want to run into the Organization.

He kept his eye on the white in the sky until it fell below the city-line, then made a quick mental calculation to be sure he was headed the right way.

Kid was like a rival, but he didn't want the thief _dead_.

And, the Organization would definitely do that should they catch him first.

Conan really didn't know what he would do when he found him…Kid was most likely injured, and might have already disguised himself. But, he figured he would think of that when he got there as he tore around another corner on the skateboard.

There was a plank of wood leaning up against the end of an alleyway, so he used that as a ramp to get over the wall that would have normally caused him to have to turn around, and landed the board on the ground on the other side.

From there, it was just a couple more turns until he found the thief.

Kid lay on the ground, unmoving, between a couple of buildings.

For a moment, Conan wondered if it was just a dummy to fool whomever was after him.

Though, when he saw the blood that soaked into the thief's left shoulder, and some that ran down the guy's face on the left hand side, he realized that it was the real deal.

Then, he was left to worry if the guy survived the crash.

Conan hopped off the board and quickly shoved it back in his bag as he ran up to the downed thief.

There was a pulse when he checked, and the guy was breathing…but they couldn't stay there.

"Hey…hey!" Conan shook the thief's shoulders. "Wake up!"

The other groaned, then opened his eyes blearily.

"Get up! You have to get out of here, or they'll come and kill you!" Conan pulled at Kid's right arm to get him up, since the guy's left had a nice stain of blood around it.

"I'm alive, then…? That was one hell of a landing……oh! It's you, tantei-kun…!"

"Shut up!" Conan hissed and again tried to pull the guy to his feet. "Are you trying to give away your location to them!? You think they'll quit after a failed attempt!?"

"They…?"

Conan resisted the urge to slap the guy upside the head. Either the thief wasn't as smart as he originally thought, or the guy was a bit dazed from the landing.

The shrunken detective banked on the latter.

Kid winced and grunted in pain when he stumbled to his feet. His right hand went to his left shoulder as rivulets of blood dripped down his arm to land on the ground. His legs almost buckled when he stood, and he practically slammed into a nearby wall to stay upright.

Conan felt a pang of sympathy for the thief, but they couldn't stay where they were. Already, he swore he could hear the sound of an approaching car. "Come on!"

Kid hissed in pain, but followed the boy around another corner with a heavy limp.

Conan didn't have to be a genius to tell the reason…there was another patch of blood that gathered on the thief's right pant leg by the knee. He doubted there was another bullet fired, so that meant it was probably an injury upon landing.

Kid wasn't having a great night, either. His vision doubled and blurred occasionally, and his head spun. Probably from the bump he got upon landing…but that still wasn't a good sign. His left arm hurt like hell, and his right leg sent up shocks of pain each time he stepped down on it.

As they ducked around another corner, he stumbled and leaned heavily against a building as his breathing came out in pained gasps.

Conan stopped and glanced behind him when he heard the lack of footsteps. "Don't pass out…I can't carry you. Do you have anyone standing by that can help you?"

"Not tonight…no…" Kid rasped.

"Damn it…" Conan then noticed the blood that ran down Kid's left hand, and swore again. "Hey…bend your arm at the elbow! No, your left arm! You're trailing blood! They'll track it and find us!"

"You mean…they'll find me…"

"Ba'a'rou! I'm not leaving someone who's injured and being targeted by some ruthless assassins behind!" Conan whispered fiercely.

Kid blinked a couple of times, startled by the conviction.

Conan swore to himself. _Even saying so, what can we do? He's wounded…and worst of all, we can't walk into a hospital like this. If we stay above ground, then they'll eventually find us when his injuries catch up to him. If we go into one of the buildings, then they're sure to corner us…_

It wasn't looking good, though the two continued to move.

Kid pushed back his pain as best as he could while he followed the boy. _He could be leading me to a hospital or a police station. That would solve the problem of the guys on our back and my wounds…_

"If you're thinking that I'm taking you in the direction of a police station or a hospital, get real. Do you think that those guys that are undoubtedly on your trail will care about the safety of officers or doctors?"

"Who are they, anyway?" Kid asked.

"I'll tell you later…" Conan glanced from side to side. _There has to be a way out! There has to be an escape! Somewhere we won't be seen…somewhere they won't think to track us through. The past couple of turns, he hasn't been leaving a trail of blood, but that'll only thrown them off for so long…_

Especially since the sniper might still be out there. If that person caught sight of them in their scope…

Conan gritted his teeth. _They could be searching from the air, too. If I'm right about one of those copters belonging to them, then all it'll take is that beam of light that's sweeping the area to land on us, and it's over! _

Kid said nothing as they stopped so Conan could peer around. _He's…scared? That look on his face…he's scared. What in the world can scare this guy?_

It wasn't a comforting thought. When the guy you're with who is practically unshakable, and looks death in the face all the time, starts to worry…then you automatically assume the worst.

Whomever was after him wasn't the usual scumbags that sometimes showed up on his heists. _Snake and Jackal wouldn't cause this reaction from him…I doubt he even knows who they are. I'm wary of them, but not afraid of them…_

Conan was sure they were dead meat since there were too many seekers trying to find them, when he spied it.

Innocently sitting on the ground where it always sat.

A sewer cap.

"This way! Try not to get any blood on anything near here…we're going to disappear under their noses," Conan stated as he rushed out towards the sewer cap.

Kid stumbled after him, but did make an effort to listen as he watched their backs.

Conan strained, but managed to move the cap. "Go down…hurry!"

Kid glanced at him, then nodded and climbed down the ladder.

Conan swung himself down, then pushed the sewer cap over their heads to slide back into place.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. Chapter 2

Same disclaimers apply…same warnings apply.

Japanese used:

"-sensei" – Means 'teacher', used when addressing/talking about school teachers, doctors, or instructors

"Hakase" – Means "Professor". Typically, it's a term given to inventors or scientists

* * *

Chapter 2

Kid grimaced when he was ankle deep in the sewer water. Not to mention that he had barely landed when it got completely dark.

"I hope you're not standing right below me…"

Kid stumbled to the side as there was a small 'splash' that indicated that Conan had jumped down the last couple rungs of the ladder.

"Change your outfit if you can. In the chance they follow us, it's less likely that a couple kids exploring the sewers would be suspected. Can you do that in the dark?"

"Of course!"

There was a rustle as Kid changed. It wasn't his usual speed because of his injuries, but he still managed to revert himself back to Kaitou Kuroba. The reason he picked himself to go back to?

There was no point in being anyone else. Still, he pulled a blue cap over his head to hide his face as best as he could…after he flinched from the contact with his bump. He was dressed in a green and blue sweatshirt with a pair of jeans and sneakers. All of his Phantom Thief gear appeared to be gone as he hid it the way he usually did.

"Done?"

"Yea."

There was a 'click', and the area was suddenly illuminated slightly.

Conan held up his left arm to point his flashlight-watch ahead of them. "Let me see your arm."

Kaitou blinked, but knelt down.

Conan pulled out a handkerchief and tied it tightly around the injury. "This will have to do for now. If your other injuries aren't that serious, we should keep moving. They might check the entrance to the sewer. If we're long gone by then, they won't investigate."

Kaitou nodded and limped along after the boy. There were hundreds of questions he wanted to ask, and he was sure that the kid felt the same way. But, the need for silence was greater.

Though, it was a slightly uncomfortable silence, both would admit to that.

Conan trudged ahead with a frown on his face. _Now…once we get out, where do we go? I don't know if that's his true face or not, but either way, I can't bring him to the hospital. I'd have to explain how he got that bullet wound. Not to mention that he probably still has his Kid gear somewhere on him…if they find that, his cover's blown. And if his cover is blown, those guys in black will know immediately and charge in._

"Hey…" Conan whispered, "You checked yourself for bugs, right?"

"Yea…when I was getting changed. There's nothing," came the pained whisper in return.

Conan fell silent again as they walked along (or, as he walked and Kaitou limped). _I guess we have to go to Agasa-hakase's place. Only, I don't completely trust that guy living next door. We can't exit out too close. Plus, neither he nor Haibara are doctors. And, we'll definitely need a doctor for his arm by the time we get out. Pray he doesn't lose too much blood._

Kaitou grimaced as he clasped a hand over his wound. _It's not bleeding that badly…hurts, but it must have been a clean shot. My head is swimming, though…I think I felt some blood when I was changing cloths. Must have given myself a concussion on the way down…_

Conan, meanwhile, had his plan secured. _Alright…we'll go to Agasa-hakase's place. It's the only safe haven we can use. I'll give Araide-sensei a call…I hate to involve him, but he's the only doctor that has extraordinary skills outside a hospital, and he knows a little about danger. Vermouth masqueraded as him for quite a while, after all. I really hate to involve someone else, but as long as I don't tell him the details, we should be fine._

Kaitou lost track of how many times they turned, and how long the silence lasted. All he knew was that his legs trembled, and his vision swam a little more often than before. Plus, pain seemed to be his best friend at the moment.

Finally, Conan stopped. "This should be far enough for now. What other injuries do you have?"

Kaitou leaned against the wall for support. "Hard to say. Definitely a concussion…my vision has been blurring for the past few minutes. Left wrist hurts to move, probably a sprain. Same with my right knee. And, you already know about the bullet wound."

Conan glanced back at him. "Can you make it a little farther? Another block and a half, and we'll exit the sewer. Then, another block from there."

"Two and a half blocks?" Kaitou groaned. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem. But injured…

"I know it's asking a lot…but taking a taxi is risky, and this is the only place where it'll be safe."

"Safe for whom?"

"Both of us. I also know someone that can keep a secret that can patch you up. Though, I don't plan on telling him much about it…he won't ask too many questions about the bullet wound."

Kaitou wiped sweat from his forehead. "You sure know your connections…"

The boy shrugged. "I wish I had more that could help in this scenario. Speaking of which, what exactly were you stealing?"

Kaitou blinked, then chuckled and reached into his pocket. "You can have it. You technically 'caught' me, so as a reward…"

"I see…this is your true face, then." Conan smirked as he took the piece of paper.

Kaitou visibly jolted, then gulped.

"That actually makes things easier. Don't worry…I'm not going to turn you in. You're not Kid right now. Though, you'd better have a damn good reason for all those heists."

"I do."

"Can you tell…" Conan trailed off as his eyes caught part of the heading of the paper that he had started to pocket.

"What's up?" Kaitou noticed the trailed off sentence.

"Where did you hear about this formula from?" Conan's hands shook as he stared at the paper.

"Ah…the challenge to Kid through the paper. Dunno who wrote it…"

"You were set up."

"Eh?!"

Conan carefully folded the paper, and just as carefully put it in his pocket as if it were a national treasure. "Those guys in black probably set up the entire thing. They challenged you and knew you'd respond, and intended to kill you and take the formula."

"How do you figure that? Besides with what just happened, I mean…"

Conan was quiet a moment, then said, "This isn't the place to say so. Now, tell me, why did you take up the challenge? It can't be just because someone challenged Kid."

"Yea…well, it wasn't a gem, but it was rumored to be able to create one…"

"I read about it. You can skip this part."

"Right. There's a gem I want to find…and destroy."

"Any particular qualities this gem has?"

Kaitou hesitated, then sighed in defeat. He hurt all over, his pride was torn to shreds, and the kid could always change his mind and turn him in. What did he have to lose? Besides…this was a guy that was in over his head, too. "Immortality."

"So, that's why the description of the formula caught your attention…"

"Yea. I didn't want them to get their hands on it, whether the gem is already in creation or being made. I think it's already been created, though, because my father…"

Conan glanced at the teen when he trailed off.

Kaitou had a frown on his face, and Conan could tell that not all of the pallor of the teen's skin was from the pain of his injuries.

"So, they killed your father over this gem, who was probably the original Kaitou Kid. You discovered all of this, and want to find and destroy the gem so the ones that killed your father can't get it. Right?"

"Bingo…" Kaitou attempted a smile.

"You've been targeted before, then?"

"Not by the same guys as tonight. Usually, it's just two with animal code names. Snake and Jackal…"

"Jackal? That wanted jewel thief?"

"Yep."

Conan frowned in thought. "Then, at some point, their organization must have come in contact with the guys in black…especially with tonight's heist. They used you to get the formula for them. Maybe it _was_ originally thought up to be some sort of gemstone. But the formula on that page isn't for any sort of immortality. Quite the opposite."

Kaitou blinked in surprise. "Opposite?"

"It's a poison." Conan gestured for them to start walking again since Kaitou had regained some of his breath. _That's right…at the top…it says 'APTX-4869'. I don't know if I should call this a lucky break or something ominous. _

Kaitou's eyes widened. "That's why they want it…"

"It's probably the last copy of the formula in existence. Their research on this particular drug came to a grinding halt. So, of course, they want it badly. Still, your stupidity amazes me."

"Hah?" Kaitou nearly tripped at the change in the boy's demeanor and tone.

Conan sighed in exasperation. "You accept a challenge to steal a suspicious formula from someone you don't know, and don't even _think_ that it could be one giant set up."

"Hey…I'm used to Snake and Jackal. I figured it might have been them. They confront me head on…"

"I repeat…you're an idiot."

"You're the last person I want to hear that from…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Uh, huh…"

* * *

It wasn't much longer before Conan helped Kaitou out of the sewer and onto the deserted street he had chosen to exit to about a block away from Beika Street.

Kaitou cringed a bit in pain when Conan replaced the sewer cap.

"How are you holding up?" Conan questioned softly. In the dim light from his watch, he had taken quick glances at the magician, and didn't like how pale the teen was.

"Manageable…"

"The truth, this time, please."

Kaitou grinned tightly. "My head is pounding, my arm hurts like hell, it's a wonder I can stand on my leg, and I feel like I'm gonna puke. How's that?"

Conan frowned. "Maybe I should call Agasa-hakase and have him pick us up instead of walking there…"

Kaitou leaned against a nearby wall. "As long as he won't be in danger, I'm for that suggestion."

Conan nodded, and flipped his phone open.

Kaitou tried to hold in a groan as he sat on the ground, back to a building. _My vision is getting blurry again…_

Conan's next call was to Araide…he would prefer to have the doctor waiting for them when they got there, so calling ahead of time was the least he could do to shorten the wait Kaitou would have.

Kaitou barely heard a word the boy said since his ears were ringing. There weren't many people out on the sidewalk, probably because of the Kid heist and the late hour.

"Hakase is on the way, and Araide-sensei should arrive shortly after we get back. Are you listening?"

Kaitou grimaced and let his head fall into his hand, then supported his arm on his good knee.

"What should I call you, anyway? I can't tell Araide-sensei that you're Kid. Though, I'll be telling Agasa-hakase since we _are_ going to his house. So, you can make up a fake name or whatever…just something to call you."

"Kuroba Kaitou."

"Weird name."

"That happens to be my _real_ name, ya know…"

"Oh…why did you tell me your real name?"

Kaitou sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. "Does it matter at this point? Besides…if I die from this, I need someone to tell my mother."

"You aren't going to die."

Kaitou chuckled, then coughed. "Wishful thinking, there? I've lost a good amount of blood, already…"

Conan glared at him. "You. Aren't. Going. To. Die."

Before Kaitou could reply, the area was illuminated by a pair of headlights that belonged to a yellow Beetle.

Conan smiled in relief when Agasa got out. "Come on, Kuroba. Can you stand up again?"

"You kidding? I don't think I can move…"

Agasa rushed over to where they were. "I told Ai-kun that Araide-sensei would be coming, and to let him in if he gets there before we get back. You said he was injured? How badly?"

"Let's just get him to the house…he's passing in and out of consciousness, now, I believe." Conan glanced at Kaitou, who had a slightly glazed look in his eyes.

Agasa nodded, and knelt down. He pulled Kaitou's right arm over his shoulders, then slowly stood up.

Conan opened the door to the Beetle so they could sit him in the passenger seat. After all, Conan figured that if they let him lay down in the back they would have a problem getting him back out.

Kaitou squinted as the shapes around him swirled and changed…and then, he was seated in the car with the kid in backseat and the old man behind the wheel.

"Try to stay awake, Kuroba. Hey, are you listening?!"

Kaitou flinched. "Sorta…"

The rest of the ride back was pretty much Conan trying to keep Kaitou from passing out.

* * *

Araide didn't ask many questions, and what with the serious expression on Conan's face, didn't press for them, either. He figured it was one of those 'need to know' or 'better of not knowing' things.

Kaitou had been in bad shape when Araide arrived…despite Conan's attempts, he had fallen unconscious. Luckily, Araide said that there didn't appear to be major inflammation due to the head injury, so the teen would wake up.

The biggest problem was the amount of blood that Kaitou had lost. Though, Araide soon told them that it wasn't as bad as they had thought. A transfer would have been optimal, and would have been used in most cases, but Araide was able to work with what he had and told them, with confidence, that the blood loss wasn't large.

He had patched up and bandaged Kaitou's sprained knee and secured the boy's sprained wrist. The teen also had a bandage wrapped around his head. Araide had to use injections to get medicine into Kaitou, and used a reflex swallowing action of rubbing the throat to give the teen some fluids (water), but there was no threat to his life.

Though, he would probably be very sore the next morning, and there was a chance his fever would persist for a couple of days.

Conan felt exhausted by the time Araide left, and he had only been helping (along with Agasa) when Araide was doing the treatment.

Then again, he had also dragged a wanted thief through the sewer systems.

"Did you tell Ran-kun anything?" Agasa asked after he finally convinced Conan to take a shower and change cloths.

"Yea…I told her you called me and said you made a cool game you wanted me to try out, so I'd be staying over." Conan all but collapsed onto the unoccupied couch.

The other couch was where Kaitou was laid out, a pillow under his head and a blanket over him as he slept.

Araide had given them a list of instructions for him, as well as a prescription for antibiotics to fill out the next day. There hadn't been any signs of infection, but running through the sewers with an open wound was inviting disaster.

Conan was about to head up to take a shower, when he remembered about the piece of paper in his pocket. He pulled it out and opened it. Sure enough, it said the same thing that it had said the last time he looked.

APTX-4869

Conan ran out of the room, and nearly fell down the stairs in his hurry to get to the lab where Haibara was working.

"Haibara!" Conan knocked on the door…more like pounded.

An annoyed female greeted him when said door opened. "What? I'm only in here because I'm giving up on sleep for tonight, anyway…"

Conan held out the piece of paper. "This was what Kid had to steal tonight."

"A piece of…?" Haibara stopped when she caught sight of the formula, then the title. Her eyes widened, and she reached out with trembling hands. "Is…is this…?"

"Yea. I didn't believe it at first, either. But, Kuroba's story matches up. Do you think, with this, you can make an antidote? A permanent one?"

Haibara stared at the paper that was now in her hands. "I should be able to. It looks familiar……it's true. This is it. This is the Apotoxin…"

Conan laughed, and leaned against the wall since his legs had suddenly tried to give out on him. He ran a shaking hand through his hair. "I don't believe it…I wanted to, when I saw the title, but I still had to keep up with being skeptical…"

"Believe it, Kudou-kun. I can't guarantee an antidote overnight, but…"

"I know…I'm counting on you, Haibara."

"Now all you have to do is find them. You can't turn back to normal until then, you realize."

Conan sighed wearily. "Burst my bubble, why don't you…"

"Someone has to keep a level head around here, or everything will go to hell. Speaking of, you reek. Go take a shower before I quarantine you."

Conan got his legs working again, and threw her a small glare. "Ha, ha."

Haibara just smirked at him, then closed the door to the lab.

Conan shook his head, but there was a big grin on his face as he ran up the stairs to take a shower. Hope was on a piece of paper that had somehow ended up in his hands.

He paused at the top of the stairs to flip open his mobile to make a call. However, he didn't expect to see that two people had sent him an email message while his phone had been out of service in the sewers (and then neglected when Araide was patching up Kaitou).

Curiously, he opened the first message…and froze. It was from someone he had worked with once…someone he thought had lost his memory. Apparently, the man's memory was fine and intact…and he didn't want anyone else to know.

Save Conan.

Conan stared at the message before he finally was able to open the next one. That one surprised him, too. It hadn't been too long since Eisuke had gone to America, but he didn't truly expect anything to come from him for a while.

Thus, this second clue was unexpected yet wanted.

Conan wondered if he had built up some good karma somewhere, or things were finally starting to look up. Or maybe, fate had enough of picking on him and decided to cut him some slack.

Agasa stared at the boy that hadn't moved for the past fifteen minutes. "Shinichi?"

"I can get them, hakase…I've got clues to them, now. Combined with the boss's email address…if I can crack these codes…maybe, just maybe…"

Agasa smiled. "Really? That's great! Oh! Are you going to work with Hattori-kun on it?"

"Hah?"

"Two heads are better than one!"

Conan shook his head. "I can't get him involved…it's bad enough that he knows. But he can get hurt if…"

"I'll call him if you don't. I won't let you go into this alone, Shinichi."

"Hakase…"

Agasa stood firm. "Hattori-kun knows about it, and you've told him some information. He once went undercover to try and catch them one time. You aren't alone in this, so don't act it."

Conan sighed, then smiled. "You say intelligent things from time to time."

"Hey!"

Conan laughed, then ran up the stairs to the bathroom. "I'll go take a shower and give him a call! Hope you don't mind your house being turned into a small base!"

Agasa just chuckled as the boy ran up the stairs. _It's about time…I heard they found the formula for the Apotoxin, too…that boy's been through enough. _

Meanwhile, Conan closed the door to the bathroom and dialed the familiar number.

It ran a couple times before a sleepy voice picked up.

"_Kudou…this had damn well better be important. Do you know what __**time**__ it is…!?"_

Conan snickered as he hopped on one foot to pull his sock off while he held the mobile with his other hand. "Hey, Hattori…how soon can you get to Agasa-hakase's place?"

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	3. Chapter 3

Shinichi/Conan teases Heiji and Kaitou in this about their relationship (or lack there of) with Kazuha and Aoko. That's because, let's face it…Heiji and Kaitou sort of know something is there, but haven't quite figured it out. Shinichi, on the other hand, admits that he loves Ran.

There are a lot of manga chapters and anime episodes to recall, but I don't really remember any other episode where Haibara actually speaks to Kid except for one instance (by the end of episode 396; manga chapter 478).

I use a lot of abbreviations and shortening of words with apostrophes when Heiji talks…the reason for that is I'm trying to capture his Osaka accent.

Japanese used:

"-kun" – A suffix used typically for addressing boys (though, it's occasionally used for girls) that are typically younger or the same age as the speaker.

"Keibu" – Means "officer/inspector", used when talking about police inspectors (like Megure and Nakamori)

"Neechan" – Means "big sister"…but the way Heiji uses the word is pretty much for other girls (Kazuha not included)

A "shinai" is a bamboo sword made for Kendo

* * *

Chapter 3

When Kaitou woke up, there was sun streaming through the windows. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where he was. After all, the ceiling wasn't familiar, and he certainly couldn't recall falling asleep on a couch. It was the ache in his shoulder that reminded him.

Kaitou flinched. _Right…the heist, the sniper, running from some 'guys in black' with Kudou, trudging through the sewers…_

He vaguely remembered a car ride, but after that, it was blank. _I must have passed out. I think I remember being helped through the door to a circular house, with Kudou shouting at me not to fall asleep…but then, nothing._

Kaitou rubbed his head with his right arm, then blinked when he felt the bandage. A small grin formed on his face. _He kept his word, at least. I'm not in a hospital, yet my injuries seem to have been taken care of. I guess the bump on my head wasn't as bad as either of us must have thought if I'm awake…_

His arm was a little painful, his knee throbbed now and then, and he felt a tad feverish, but otherwise, he appeared to be in one piece.

Kaitou glanced over to the side and blinked.

There was a low table between the couch he sat on and another one…but that's not what caught his attention. It was the two detectives sound asleep on the other side that did.

There were papers with various sketches and circled words that scattered the table along with maps that were also marked. In fact, there didn't seem to be a clear space on the table to see the wood on the top under all the paper.

Slumped over the table was one Conan Edogawa, aka Shinichi Kudou, fast asleep. His glasses had been removed or taken off, and there was a blanket over his shoulders.

Next to him with his back against the couch and slumped slightly with his head down in slumber was a high school detective that Kaitou had only met a couple times before, though he knew of the guy. Heiji Hattori. He, too, had a blanket over his front.

Obviously, someone had covered them when they fell asleep. Kaitou noticed a similar type of blanket over himself, and figured it must have been the old man named Agasa that he faintly remembered.

Speak of the devil, a slightly elderly voice spoke up from nearby. "I see you're awake. Shinichi told me everything last night. You don't have to fear being here."

Kaitou glanced around and finally saw the old man come into view. "You're…that scientist guy, Agasa, right?"

"Yep." Agasa fixed the blankets over Conan and Heiji, then stepped back. "I can't believe these two, falling asleep in positions like that…I woke up this morning and they were sound asleep over the table!"

Kaitou chuckled, then coughed a couple of times.

"When one of them wakes up, I'll go fill the antibiotic prescription for you. Araide-sensei left it to decrease the risk of infection. I'll bring some tea over for now. Can you sit up?"

Kaitou nodded and slowly sat up, then moved so he could lean back against the couch rather than the pillow.

Agasa returned a couple minutes later with a cup of tea, and handed it to Kaitou. "You can just put it on the ground when you're done…I wouldn't touch anything on the table if I were you, either."

"What were they doing?" Kaitou wondered aloud as he stared at the contents of the table.

Now that he had a better look, there were more than just pages of words…there were also pages of numbers and what was probably coded messages, as well as corresponding codes on the maps.

Agasa hesitated, then finally replied, "Hunting, I suppose you can call it. Normally, I wouldn't say a word to anyone, but you seem involved, now…Shinichi will probably explain it when he wakes up."

Kaitou glanced at the shrunken detective in question. _Sleeping like that, he looks far too innocent for the one that's always trying to put me to sleep or knock me to kingdom come with a super-powered soccer ball…_

"Though, I was surprised! When Shinichi told me that you knew who he really was, I nearly didn't believe it."

"Who were the guys that tried to kill me last night? Do you know?" Kaitou wasn't the patient type, and he didn't want to wait for the little detective to wake up before he found out.

It wasn't Agasa that responded, but the little girl that Kaitou had always found quite creepy. He had only met her a couple of times, but she frankly freaked the hell out of him.

"The Black Organization…an underground syndicate that deals in just about any crime you can think of. If Kudou-kun hadn't helped you, you'd be dead right now."

And, as usual, she was just as charming as the last time he had met her. Kaitou was sure that thought reflected on his face despite his attempts not to let it as he stared at the girl that had emerged from a doorway.

"Oh! I made some extra tea for you, Ai-kun. Some breakfast, too…" Agasa started.

Haibara yawned and nodded. "I only came up because of that." She paused as she headed past the couch, then turned and smirked at Kaitou. "I suppose I should thank you. Kudou-kun might, too. If you hadn't taken that formula…it might have taken a long time for us to come across it."

"Yea, about that…he was pretty shocked, and you seem to know what it is, too. He said it was a poison…" Kaitou started.

"Oh? You haven't figured it out? I thought you were smart. Though, I have to wonder about your intelligence when you so willingly walked into a trap."

Kaitou shot her a half-moon glare. _Yup, just as charming…_

"How do you think Kudou-kun got like he is? Magic?"

Kaitou shrugged, then regretted the movement and rubbed his shoulder with a grimace.

"Don't move your arm too much…Kudou-kun already risked a lot calling that doctor over here. Pulling your stitches would be bad."

"Thanks, I think…" Kaitou grumbled.

Haibara just smirked at him, then walked away to go to the kitchen.

Kaitou leaned back on the couch. _So…that formula was the poison that shrunk Kudou, huh…? _

Agasa walked with Haibara, asking how things were coming along, and receiving a positive answer in response.

"Slowly, but I'm getting there."

Was what Kaitou heard before the two rounded the bend into the kitchen unit.

Kaitou sighed and sipped at the tea. "That…is one damn creepy little girl."

To his surprise, there was a chuckle from across the table.

"That doesn't even _begin_ to describe her personality."

Kaitou nearly jumped, then looked over and saw that both detectives were stirring.

Conan was the one that had spoken as he blinked sleep from his eyes and stretched.

Heiji groaned next to him. "Remind me notta fall asleep in this position again, Kudou."

Conan grinned cheekily, then turned to his friend and said, "Don't fall asleep in that position again."

Heiji gave him a tired glare.

Kaitou burst into laughter. "And here I thought you had no sense of humor!"

"Sure I do…it's just as dry as sandpaper," Conan responded as he moved the blanket that covered him aside and glanced down at the table.

"I can contest to that…" Heiji stretched in an attempt to get limber again after sleeping in an uncomfortable position.

"Am I going to find out what exactly is being used as the table sheet?" Kaitou questioned.

"Maybe…you seem to be a target now, too…" Conan sighed.

Agasa came back into the room with two more cups of tea, and a couple bowls of cereal on a tray. A moment later, Haibara walked by and went back through the door she had come out of without a word.

"So, this is how you survived on your own with your dismal cooking skills, huh, hakase?" Conan snickered, but accepted one of the bowls and cups.

"Hmph…"

Heiji chuckled and took one as well with a 'thanks'.

Kaitou didn't feel very hungry, but he was still grateful that he received porridge instead of cereal.

"I didn't make it, so don't worry," Agasa stated with a chuckle.

"Ah…thanks. I'm not that hungry, though…"

"Eat," Conan all but demanded. "You'll be on antibiotics later, and you have to eat to recover. Your body is weak from the injuries and fever."

Kaitou blinked and placed a hand to his forehead. "Ah…that'd explain the chills…"

"That comes from running around in a sewer, I'd imagine…" Heiji placed his now empty bowl down.

Conan stared at the Osakan detective a moment with a boggled look, then just shook his head and muttered something about bottomless pits.

Heiji gave him a 'who, me?' look, then moved a couple papers on the table to get to work again.

"So, _am_ I going to be let in on the big secret, or what?" Kaitou broke the silence again. He was irked at being ordered around by the shrunken detective, but did as he was told and started to eat, since there was a ring of truth in the words.

Heiji and Conan exchanged a look, then both sighed.

Agasa left to go fill the antibiotic prescription for Kaitou now that Conan and Heiji were awake and could handle it if Kaitou's fever got worse or the wound opened up again.

"Alright. But, you've got to spill the details on your end, too. Also…" Conan was interrupted by Kaitou.

"Deal. However, don't tell me to stay out of it afterwards just cause Kid was targeted. If those guys are working with Snake, then they could also be responsible for my father's death. I want to see them brought down."

Heiji shrugged. "Sounds logical ta me, Kudou. I vote 'in' for him. We're gonna tell the FBI what we've discovered, anyway…"

"Yea, I guess so…it's all moving towards a showdown…" Conan frowned slightly.

Kaitou nodded eagerly. "It concerns me, too, so you can't leave me out. You know who I am, and I know who you are…we have a common enemy, so we can join up!"

"Fine, fine…" Conan nodded. "You're in."

Kaitou grinned.

Heiji nodded. "Just…we draw the line at that. If I have to work with that Hakuba guy, I'll…"

What he said next involved aforementioned detective, human anatomy, and a _very_ creative way to use a shinai.

Conan shook his head wryly, though he did pause to glance at Kaitou, who had suddenly burst out in uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

"Say _what_?!"

Though both Conan and Kaitou glared at him, Heiji's exclamation was actually right on the mark with how they felt about the situation as well.

The two had deciphered the codes and locations before they had fallen asleep, so all that was left was contacting others and setting a plan into motion in order to capture the Organization.

Of course, they'd run into trouble if not all of the members were at that location, which was why Shuuichi stayed in contact with Conan while he spied on them. Of course, he didn't contact the others in the FBI for a couple reasons…in case he was targeted again, and because they all figured he had amnesia. It was for the CIA member's safety.

Though, that was the current problem.

"Because the CIA has an agent in there that they heard returned safely as a spy, the FBI can't move freely," Conan repeated himself.

"So, basically, the FBI and CIA are tripping over each other's feet on their MO, huh? Which means that neither can act as long as they keep it up," Kaitou summed it up.

"Exactly." Conan nodded.

"So, we'll hafta fly solo, then…not sure I like not have'n backup. If we called the police on the location, those guys in black would just move, and we'd be back where we started…" Heiji mused.

"We don't necessarily have to fly solo…"

"You got a plan, Kudou?" Heiji looked at their smaller companion.

Conan nodded. "My father has connections in Interpol. They can operate freely in Japan without crossing with the FBI and CIA. They can secure the area after we've gone in."

"So, we're still busting in…" Heiji grinned.

"Of course…if a bunch of officers swarmed them…well, they don't know what they're dealing with," Conan said.

"To be honest, neither do we. The only one that's actively encountered them is you and that tiny neechan…"

"Right. So, I'll fill you in, then." Conan shrugged.

Kaitou leaned back on the couch. Heiji and Conan were seated closer to the table, on the ground, but didn't let Kaitou join them since he still had to recover.

Which was another problem.

"We'll probably be acting on this within a week…antidote or no antidote. You might have to sit out on it, Kuroba…" Conan glanced at the teen.

"Maybe I can't go inside, but…I know something I _can_ do. If I just send a note to Nakamori-keibu about a heist and keep it quiet…yea, it's not my usual, but I play 'tag' with the Taskforce often enough."

"In other words, lead the cops to the location after we've gone in. At that point, if they run, they'll be caught by the guys look'n for Kid…" Heiji nodded.

"Can you do that with your injuries?" Conan asked.

Kaitou gave him a thumbs-up. "No problem! All I have to do is get them to chase me. Plus, we'll all be wearing bullet-proof vests for this, right?"

The two nodded. It would be suicide to go into the base of such an organization without protection and backup.

"We've got the Taskforce, and whomever tousan finds…" Conan tapped his pen against the table. "If need-be, Hattori can give his father a call…"

"Please, no…" Heiji groaned. "If I get outta this alive, he'll flay me for do'n this without tell'n him. Then again…he had fun using me as bait last time…"

Conan chuckled. "They had the situation under control last time. This time, the only one out there that's looking is Akai."

"What about the creep next door?" Kaitou jerked his thumb in said direction. "Didn't you say that we exited the sewers a block away yesterday to avoid that guy?"

"Yea…he's probably working for them, too. I told Akai not to watch for him amongst the group they're looking to be together when we go in, though."

"Why the hell not?!" Heiji exclaimed. "He's one of them, ain't he!?"

"Yea!" Kaitou agreed.

Conan looked up at them seriously. "We're playing a deadly game of chess, here. You two _are_ aware of that, right? Well, the Organization would have two main targets outside their usual dealings at this point. The traitor, Sherry, and Akai Shuuichi. That guy's been living next door long enough that he probably gathered _some_ Intel into the former."

Heiji's jaw dropped.

Kaitou blinked. "And, you've continued to let him stay there…?"

"Took the words outta my mouth…" Heiji agreed.

"Easiest way to keep an eye on him…watch for any movement. If what Jodie said is true, then he's mostly information gathering…though, he can certainly fight. I only saw him once, but he moved quickly back at Ikkaku rock."

Heiji and Kaitou frowned.

Conan glanced over to make sure that the door to the lab was closed. "Don't tell Haibara. She freaks out easily over this stuff. I'm sure she'll come up with some comments on what we're going to do, even."

"Don't worry…" Kaitou replied dryly, "…I have no intentions of holding a conversation with that scary girl."

Heiji snickered, but also swore to secrecy.

"When the time comes…I'll have her and Agasa-hakase lie low with my parents, but leave the lights on so that it seems like they're still here. Once he hears that something is going on at base, he might act. And, when he acts, he'll be caught. Catching him will be easier than the others," Conan explained.

"I get it…" Heiji nodded in approval. "So, you're just about open'n the 'welcome mat' for him. But instead of hakase and the little neechan, there'll be some officers wait'n to arrest him when he goes in to kill them."

"Okay, that sounds reasonable, but why hasn't he acted yet?" Kaitou asked. "If he's truly from the Organization, and his target is that girl, why hasn't he killed the professor and then her?"

"Right now, they've been on the look-out for Akai," Conan responded. But, there was a frown on his face that spoke volumes…he didn't know, either. Why the guy hadn't acted. He could only guess that it was because the guy was a new member, and didn't do any of the dirty work yet.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense…" Kaitou agreed.

Heiji looked at Conan. "I think it's time to go over who we know works for them, then."

Conan nodded. "I don't have pictures, but I can describe three of them very well. The ones I've met are Gin, Vodka, and Vermouth. When Camel crashed, there were two others with them…with cases that he assumed contained rifles. Plus, Kir, who's on the CIA side. But, unless she has backup to help her, she has to play Devil's Advocate. If Okiya is Bourbon, then that adds another."

"So, we have five true members that would be on location, one weirdo that's living in your house, one undercover agent, and the boss…"

"Doesn't seem like a lot, but considering what they're capable of…" Kaitou trailed off. After all, it had only been _one bullet_ that had brought him down. _And if Kudou hadn't kicked the soccer ball and made me move, it would have hit my heart._

Plus, he had heard the footsteps of their pursuers once Conan revived him and pulled him along to escape them.

"Gin is a genius…and a monster. My tranquilizers don't work against him. Vodka isn't as bright, but he has the build of a gorilla. Vermouth is just as smart as Gin, and is in close contact with the boss."

"In other words, those guys follow'n her trail found the boss cause of her…" Heiji mused.

Conan nodded. "Most likely. But, those are the three I've encountered. Bourbon…he could be a detective on our level, Hattori, if he wasn't evil."

"Eh?"

"He's a genius, which can be just as dangerous. Gin has the power and strength to back up his smarts…but just having one genius is hard enough. If Gin is smart, and Bourbon is smart, then the boss must be at least up in that level."

"Well, shit…" Heiji ran a hand through his hair.

"You took the words out of _my_ mouth, this time…" Kaitou sighed.

Conan nodded. "The two snipers…I haven't actually met them, before. Other members I've bumped into are dead. Out of the four that died, three were killed by the Organization, themselves. This isn't counting Haibara or her family, either."

"Scary guys…they'd kill their own…" Kaitou shivered…though, it might have been the remnants of fever that made him do so. At least, that's what he wanted to believe.

"So, that's why Akai took a bullet for Kir, huh?" Heiji leaned back. "Cause they'd kill her without a second thought if they knew she was still traitor to them."

"Yea."

Kaitou wasn't much for grim silence, so he started up the conversation again for them to go over the plan. "About our backup…are you sure your father can pull through for us?"

Conan nodded. "Yea. He might let me go and do this, but it'll be tough convincing my mother. After all… 'Conan' has to disappear once the antidote is finished. So, I'll need to contact them, anyway."

"And neechan, of course…" Heiji snickered.

Conan flushed a bit, then grinned at his friend. "Oh? And what about you? Shouldn't you at least tell Kazuha-san?"

Heiji turned red almost to his ears. "Wh-why would I tell that ahou!?"

Kaitou snickered.

Heiji rounded on the laughing one. "And what about you!? You're say'n that you don't have anyone with all those fangirls of yours?"

Kaitou sputtered, and felt his face heat up. "What?! She's a childhood friend! That's all!"

"Ohh…" Heiji and Conan grinned.

"I don't recall say'n anyth'n like _that_…" Heiji grinned.

Conan snickered, but found it a little eerie. _Am I the only one getting a chill from this? All of us, the same age, with a connection to the Organization, who has a childhood friend that we happen to love?_

It was more than a little creepy, when he thought of it that way.

Though, by the way Heiji and Kaitou were going at each other, it appeared that Heiji _still_ was clueless about his own feelings for Kazuha, and Kaitou was the same with whomever he was speaking about.

Both stopped and looked over when Conan started to laugh.

"What?" Heiji demanded.

"Yea…what gives?" Kaitou raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing…just…you two are such kids!" Conan chuckled.

Kaitou's eye twitched. "I really don't think _you_ are in a position to say that…"

"That's the second time you've said some'n like that, Kudou!" Heiji looked about ready to dropkick the shrunken detective.

Conan's response was more laughter.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	4. Chapter 4

I often have trouble writing Shinichi's parents, so hopefully, they aren't too far off the mark.

As for the time Yukiko met Kaitou, see episode 473, manga chapter 573 (haha…they both have a '73' in them…)

Japanese:

"Obaasan" – Means "older woman" or "old lady"

"-chan" – a suffix used to address children, though parents often use this term as well to talk to their child no matter what the age of said child

"Kaasan" – Short for "okaasan", means "mother/mom"

"Tousan" – Short for "otousan", means "father/dad"

A "bokken" is a heavier wooden sword used during practice for Kendo/Kenjutsu

* * *

Chapter 4

Four days later, Heiji and Kaitou both got a phone call from Conan telling them that the antidote had been completed, and he heard from Akai. Apparently, the Organization was having a meeting in another two days.

There was a feeling of uncertainty…they had worked out much of the details, including some "what-ifs" of their stunt. But to actually put it into action was entirely different. On the other hand, all three seemed to have the same habit of "leaping before looking", so despite their fears, they were ready to jump in.

Most of Kaitou's injuries had receded…the bump to the head and his wrist were completely healed. His leg was still injured, and he had to be careful with his arm, but he was ready.

So, four days after the three first met and figured out the location of the Organization, they met again at Agasa's place for the first in the series of events that none of them would ever forget.

Kaitou arrived first, since he was at least in the Tokyo area. He was a bit surprised when a woman answered the door.

She was, for lack of better words in Kaitou's vocabulary, beautiful. With brown hair that curled a bit by her chin and wearing a red sweater with a pair of nice khaki pants, she was very pretty even for an adult.

Kaitou idly wondered if he go the wrong house. But, no…the nameplate said "Agasa", and it was the only circular house on Beika Street. Plus, it was next to Kudou's house, so it had to be it…

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "You must be Kaitou! Wow, you've really grown up since the last time I saw you…!"

Kaitou was left wondering if he could keep his sanity if he just left, now.

Though, a familiar voice interrupted the woman.

"Kaasan! Knock it off!" Conan sighed as he went over. He had an exasperated expression on his face. "Let him in, will you? There's that guy next door…"

"Oh! Sorry, Shin-chan…!" Yukiko Kudou stepped back to let Kaitou in.

Kaitou stepped in, though the puzzled expression on his face stayed.

Conan closed the door. "I didn't know you've met my mother before…"

"I didn't know, either…" Kaitou scratched his head as he tried to figure it out as he followed the boy and his mother to the living room. He walked with a bit of a limp, but otherwise, seemed much better than the last time he had been there.

"How about this line, then…?" Yukiko winked at him, then quoted, " 'This is for you. Because you're pretty, obaasan'. Ring any bells? I was meeting your father at that time…"

Kaitou frowned as he thought about it, while Conan gave him a curious look.

Finally, Kaitou just grinned. "Well, I've met so many pretty women that I tend to forget faces…"

Yukiko acted flattered before she moved to the kitchen to get the guest some tea, but Conan gave his 'friend' a half-moon expression.

"So, what's your mother doing here, anyway, Kudou?" Kaitou asked as he gratefully sat down on one of the couches.

"I told you and Hattori before… 'Conan' has to disappear when the antidote is found. Plus, it's tousan's friends in Interpol that are being contacted."

"Here's a question…why don't any of _their_ agents go to the location?"

"Same reason we can't contact the police on it. The Organization would spot them and run if they came in big numbers without some sort of internal distraction. Plus, Interpol still has to be weary of the CIA and FBI," Conan replied as he flopped down on the opposite couch.

"Where's your father, then?" Kaitou looked around. "With his buddies from Interpol?"

"He's with Agasa-hakase in the kitchen." Conan pulled off his glasses and tossed them onto the table. _Because if anything goes wrong with the antidote, at least he would get to see me again…_ "How are your injuries?"

"Shoulder's good to go for the operation in two days…and I don't need to put pressure on my leg to pilot the glider." Kaitou responded with a grin. "By the way, how _did_ you convince your folks to let you go?"

"It's my case. I've been involved since Gin smacked me over the head with a baseball bat and force-fed me the poison by Tropical Land. Plus, I'm the only one with first-hand experience against them that's lived to tell the tale."

"Makes sense…" Kaitou mused.

"So, why'd you come, anyway? I know I said Hattori was coming over, but…"

"I need to know what the plan will be. We only went over the basics four days ago. Now that it's getting close to showtime, it's best to go over the plan again."

Conan grinned. "Good thinking, I'll give it that."

"Are you sore at me for coming?"

"No…I'm glad you did. You and Hattori are the only ones I can really talk to, besides Haibara, and sometimes hakase. Simply put, we're friends."

Kaitou nodded. "Agreed! So, as a friend, you won't turn me in when this is over with, right?"

"You still have to find the Pandora's Gem and destroy it, right? Maybe I'll show up to challenge you on your heists, but…nah, I won't turn you in. From what I understand, tousan knew you father's real identity, too." Conan smiled. _And, it was your father that led Ran and me on an interesting adventure ten years ago._

Kaitou laughed. "Like father like son, huh?"

"Tell me about it…" Conan snickered. "We've been connected since before we were born!"

That brought more laughter from the other teen.

They were only interrupted when Yukiko came out with some tea for Kaitou. Though she was obviously curious, she left the two boys to chat, since they weren't talking about anything serious anymore.

No…that would be left until Heiji got there and they could go over their final stage of planning before they went after the Organization in two days.

* * *

"So, Conan's 'mother' showed up to take him back home, and nobody's any the wiser about it. As far as everyone knows, 'Conan' went to live with his parents in America."

Heiji nodded. "I was wonder'n how you'd wrap up that loose end…you've been stay'n with neechan and occhan for a while."

"Well, kaasan already appeared a couple of times to them, dressed up as Conan's mother, so…we ran with it," Conan stated.

"And those kids hang'n around with ya?"

Conan shifted slightly. "The move is supposed to be sudden. Though, 'Ran-neechan' was left with a message to give to them."

"Suck at saying 'goodbye', huh?" Kaitou spoke up.

Conan frowned. "It's better this way, too. Maybe this way, they won't be expecting any letters from 'Conan'. And, they can't send any letters if they don't have the address."

"Admit it…you're fond of the kids and just didn't have the heart ta say 'goodbye'," Heiji interrupted.

Conan sighed in defeat, but still didn't say it aloud.

Heiji and Kaitou understood it to be the truth, however, by Conan's body language.

"Anyway, I'm going to go over the plan before I take the antidote," Conan informed them as he pulled over the map and papers from the table so they could see. "After we leave, kaasan is going to hide at a house they purchased recently under a different name with Agasa-hakase and Haibara."

Said three people weren't in the room, since all three kids and Yusaku felt that they would be safer if they didn't know the exact plan on the off chance they were found.

"They found a house pretty quickly…" Kaitou commented wryly.

"Not the first time they've done it. And, tousan agreed that they shouldn't go to one of their villas. They're in the Kudou name, after all."

Kaitou quirked a brow. "Huh…you're a little o-bo-cchama, huh?"

"Hardly…we just have a lot of money. You want something like that, see Suzuki Sonoko. Anyway…"

Heiji and Kaitou fell silent. Both worried a bit as to why they were going over the plan now and not after the guy had taken the antidote, but neither voiced that concern.

"Akai will be with us when we get there, then go in a separate route. We're going to sneak around and go through the side entrance of the warehouse that they're using as a base…"

That part of the plan, they had argued with Shuuichi over since they didn't like the idea of him going through the main entrance and being 'bait', but eventually conceded that he knew what he was doing and had his own plan.

"Our real target is the underground storage area of the warehouse. According to the schematics, there are three levels. The main level that we'll enter on, and two underground. The only way to get down is an elevator. That would make some noise, which is why Akai is going to go in first. He'll ride it down to the bottom so we can get down. If there's a ladder, we'll take that down. If not, we can slide down the cables."

"Which floor could they be on, though?" Heiji wondered.

"That's one of the problems. Splitting up is too dangerous since it will just be Hattori and myself. Though Akai will be inside somewhere, he'll be on the third floor. It would make more sense to be back-up for him and use the trapdoor in the elevator to get out on the third floor."

The two nodded.

"Since Interpol will surround the building once we're inside, we don't have to worry about them escaping if we got the wrong floor. Hopefully, they'll be quiet about it…but, us going in first is just a precaution in case someone spots them."

"Since, after all, not all of them might be inside," Heiji commented.

Conan nodded. "Right. Shortly after, Kuroba will lead the Kaitou Kid Taskforce to the area just outside Interpol's perimeter on the off chance that one of their snipers or members gets through Interpol's lines."

Kaitou nodded. "I sent the note…then met with Nakamori-keibu. As Kid, of course. Told him something bigger is going down, and that there might be some vicious guys in black after me, so I wanted to keep the heist between me and the police."

"He accepted it, then?" Heiji questioned.

Kaitou nodded. "Yep. They'll be prepared for those guys. Or, if Snake and his buddies decide to show up. Either way, they're ready to capture syndicate men."

Conan nodded. "Hattori and I will be playing it by ear. Tousan is going to provide us with a handgun each…you know how to use one, Hattori?"

"I ain't the best shot in the world, but yup. Does he really expect us to shoot them, though…?"

"Only as a last resort. I'm bringing the ball inflation belt with me…that's my weapon of choice. I'll also bring the stun watch, but I know it at least won't work on Gin. I tried to use it on him once before, and it had no effect."

"Monster, indeed…" Kaitou mumbled.

Heiji nodded.

"I guess you'll be bringing some sort of sword, Hattori?"

"A bokken. I'd hafta flip the sword over and strike with the back of the blade if I used a real katana. Might as well just go with a bokken, then."

"So, we'll be prepared for close-quarters combat…and, if things get bad, we have the guns. Our primary goal is to force them to run. There's a large lake behind them, and a mountainous area behind that, so they can't flee that way. We want to force them out into the hands of the waiting Interpol members."

Heiji nodded, then grinned. "So, any member we take down and tie up is just an added bonus!"

"Something like that…" Conan nodded. "Any questions on the plan? You have clearance to disguise yourself as an Interpol member and meet up with tousan, so that's your escape route, Kuroba."

Kaitou put his hand down. "Got'cha. My assistant won't be helping much…too dangerous, and he's an old man. I appreciate it."

"I should be saying that…" Conan smiled tightly as he stood up. "You were the one that filched the Apotoxin formula four days ago…that allowed Haibara to create an antidote. Though finding their base was just some extra luck on our side…a lot of it is due to you. So…thanks, Kuroba."

Kaitou blinked. "Hey, hey…don't get all mushy. It's not like you, and it's creeping me out a bit."

"Creep'n me out, too…" Heiji eyed the boy. "What's the deal, Kudou?"

"I'll take the antidote, now. If we're set on the plan. Haibara prepared it…I'll get it from her, then head to the bathroom."

"Hey, Kudou! Stop avoid'n the…!" Heiji started.

"Hattori…" Conan interrupted, halfway to the kitchen.

"Yea?"

"If anything happens…you're in charge."

"What do you mean, 'if anything happens'…?" Heiji sprung to his feet.

Kaitou glanced over his shoulder at the small form. "You mean, if the antidote fails."

Heiji paled.

Conan nodded. "There's a chance I can die. Though, there was a chance each time I took one of the prototype antidotes. But this one is much higher. Haibara was pressured to make one quickly since she knew they wouldn't stay in one spot long, which meant that we would be acting within a time frame of a week or two."

"That's why you were talking funny…" Kaitou frowned.

Conan just grinned back at them. "Wish me luck, huh? This one could be forever. One way or the other."

Then, the boy's grin dropped, and he paused in his steps. "Oh…and…if it does kill me…Hattori, can you tell Ran? When this is over…tell her everything…"

Heiji started to nod, then shook his head. "No way! Tell her, yourself, Kudou! You'll be telling her, yourself!"

Conan smiled gratefully at the hidden 'yes', as well as the concern, then walked into the kitchen to get the antidote.

Neither Kaitou nor Heiji said a word when he walked out with one hand in a fist where the innocent pill most likely sat. They were still silent as he walked over to the bathroom, then closed the door behind him.

"Hey…have you seen his transformations?" Kaitou finally ventured.

Heiji shook his head. "I ain't seen him _transform_, per say…but I was there plenty of times when the temporary antidote started to wear off. Don't be surprised if ya hear a scream. It's a painful process."

Yukiko, Yusaku, Agasa, and Haibara emerged from the kitchen at that point.

None of them took a seat, however, which was a testament to their nervousness on whether the antidote would work or not.

Even Heiji had yet to sit back down.

The only reason Kaitou wasn't on his feet was because of his injured knee, though he drummed his fingers on the couch in a sign of nerves.

It was so quiet that they could hear the ticking of the clock.

Not even Haibara said a word…she was just as anxious as the rest of them since it was her drug, and it would be her antidote. She was certain it would work, but it still had a risk in it. She had used him as a test subject numerous times…but this was the first time she was so nervous about it.

They all jumped when there was a scream. Heiji's first instinct was to rush over to the bathroom, but Haibara caught his shirt and stopped him.

Yukiko covered her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as Yusaku placed a hand on her shoulder. The man seemed composed, but the pallor of his face was lighter than normal.

Agasa clenched his hands into fists, and Kaitou had jumped to his feet…though, the teen still leaned against the couch when weight was put on his right leg.

The scream of the child hadn't lasted long…then, there was silence.

"Yu-chan…" Yukiko had tears in her eyes, the 'what if' unspoken between them.

Yusaku merely squeezed her shoulder as she leaned against him.

All eyes were on the door.

"Hey…how long does the transformation take?" Kaitou asked nervously. "Shouldn't he be out by now if it worked?"

"He'd have to change cloths…but…" Haibara glanced at her watch. _If the scream was when the majority of the pain hit from the transformation, then that would be the signal that his body was changing. It's been only two minutes since then…_

"I'm sure he's fine…Shinichi will be fine…" who Agasa was trying to convince, nobody knew.

A moment of silence and another two minutes later, Heiji spoke.

"Let go."

Haibara stared up at him.

"I'm a guy, so even if he's in there naked, it's noth'n I haven't seen before. If some'n went wrong and he needs help but can't say anyth'n, we're just wait'n for him to die out here. _Let go_."

Haibara hesitated, then released her grip on Heiji's shirt.

Heiji rushed over to the bathroom door and knocked on it. "Kudou? I'm come'n in!"

Before he could turn the handle, however, it turned from the inside.

Heiji still hadn't dropped his arm from where he had his hand outstretched towards the knob, though a smile lit his face after a moment of shock.

Shinichi Kudou stood there, dressed in a green collared polo shirt under a jean jacket with a pair of jeans and white socks. There was still some sweat that clung to his face, his bangs were a bit damp from the temperature in his body increasing like it did for the transformations, and he seemed a bit shaky…but otherwise, he stood firm.

Shinichi smirked. "Hey. I thought you were into girls, not guys, Hattori."

After a moment, Heiji turned red and snapped at him. "Well, you were taking so damn long…I thought you might've been dy'n in there! And, wait a minute…don't even _imply_ that, Kudou!"

Shinichi chuckled. "Couldn't help it…"

"Shin-chan…?" Yukiko rushed forward and all but shoved Heiji out of the way as she looked him up and down. "Are you alright?"

"Yep. It worked."

"You're trembling…" Yukiko frowned.

"Aftermath of the transformation," Shinichi explained.

Haibara nodded in agreement. "It's no wonder. This was made as a permanent antidote, after all."

Heiji moved forward again and grasped Shinichi's arm. "Don't keep stand'n there like a moron, then. Go sit down before you collapse!"

Yukiko moved aside with a relieved smile as Heiji led Shinichi to the unoccupied couch.

Shinichi let out a sigh of relief when he was seated, and closed his eyes. "You know, that's one thing I won't miss…the pain and the lingering aches of transformation."

Kaitou fell back onto the other couch with a relieved chuckled. "You scared the shit outta me, Kudou. You know that?"

Shinichi opened his eyes tiredly and grinned. "I try."

"You're really alright?" Yukiko placed a hand to his forehead, then frowned. "You're all sweaty! And you feel slightly warm…"

"We should do a post-transformation check-up," Haibara took command. "The sweat and fever should be the lingering effects of the transformation…the slight fever is still his body temperature going back down from the transformation. The exhaustion is because, though he's taken temporary antidotes, he's not used to the actual one. Plus, it could be fighting off the remnants of the poison in his system."

"What does that mean?" Agasa questioned the small girl as she went to fetch equipment to take his blood pressure, temperature, and list some other information.

Yusaku chuckled. "It means that he needs to rest for a little while. Though, I think he's already a couple steps ahead of us on that."

When they glanced over, Yukiko giggled in relief, Heiji snickered, Agasa smiled, and Kaitou laughed.

Shinichi had fallen asleep in a seated position, his breathing soft yet strong and even.

Yukiko went over and gently moved him so that he lay on the couch rather than be seated, then brushed his slightly damp bangs away. "Shin-chan…"

Agasa gestured for Heiji and Kaitou to come to the kitchen unit to hang around in order to give the family a little time before Haibara returned to make sure that nothing had gone wrong, and Shinichi was truly back.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	5. Chapter 5

A little bit of interaction between the guys and the girls in this chapter. First section is Shinichi and Ran, second section is Heiji and Kazuha, third section is Kaitou and Aoko.

In the first section, the italics on their own paragraph/line that are in quotes are Ran's dialogue over the phone. Any italics that follows a character's name or action are thoughts of that character.

Japanese:

"Ahou" – Means "idiot/stupid"; it's used in the Kansai dialect (Naniwa area, like Osaka) in place of "Baka". If someone from that area calls another person a "baka", it's considered an insult. Likewise, if someone from Tokyo calls someone "ahou", it's insulting.

"Boke" – Another word for "stupid", again, used in Kansai dialect (Heiji uses this a lot, especially when arguing with Kazuha)

"-han" – Used in place of "-san" in Kansai dialect, a suffix attached to the end of a name when the person is older than the speaker

An "omamori" is an amulet of protection; Kazuha made one for both herself and Heiji from two of the links of the handcuffs that they had been trapped in when they were kids

* * *

Chapter 5

One day to go. Yukiko had already taken Agasa and Haibara and left via a car…obviously, not Agasa's Beetle. That would just about scream out that they were fleeing or leaving.

And they couldn't have that if they wanted to catch Bourbon.

Kaitou and Heiji were home, but Heiji would be meeting with Shinichi at Agasa's place before they headed to the warehouse. Kaitou would go his own route since his part of the plan didn't involve jumping into the lion's den.

So now, Shinichi sat on the couch in Agasa's house, his mobile in hand, and a frown on his face. He knew he had to call…it was the right thing to do. It would be hard not to blurt everything out, though, so he had to be careful.

He took a deep breath, then let it out and dialed the number. It would be the first time in months that he had called her as himself. No voice-changing bowtie and a payphone.

The other phone rang a couple of times before she picked up.

_"Shinichi?"_

Shinichi smiled. "Hey, Ran! Thought I'd give you a call!"

_"Geez…it's been forever since you last called! You jerk!"_

"Ouch…" Shinichi grinned. "I call and get labeled as a 'jerk'. Cold, Ran…"

_"Stuff it…"_

Shinichi laughed.

"When are you coming home?"

His laughter stopped abruptly.

_"Shinichi?"_

"Soon. That big case I've mentioned before…we finally got a lead. It'll all be over soon."

Silence.

Then…

_"Really? You're really coming back?"_

"Ba'a'rou…don't cry. Yea…I'll be coming back." _Hopefully, not in a body bag…_

A sniffle from the other end. _"I'm not crying! Who'd cry over you…!?"_

Shinichi smiled sadly. "Ran…I'm sorry."

_"Huh?"_

"I've made you cry a lot…I've let you down more than ever……I'm sorry."

He had to clear it up. If it weren't important for him to stay silent on it, he would have spilled the entire thing with Conan right there and then. Because he honestly didn't know if he was going to come back alive.

_"Shinichi…what's wrong? You don't just apologize like that…"_

"Nothing's wrong."

"_Liar."_

"Really! We'll be wrapping the case up really soon, and I can come back for good! How can something be wrong with that?" Shinichi tried to smile, but failed.

_"…"_

"Ran?" Her silence confused him.

_"You're hiding something from me, again, aren't you. This case…it's dangerous, isn't it…"_

Shinichi frowned. "I'd be lying if I said 'no'. But, don't worry, Ran. I'll tell you all about it. _Everything_. Everything that's happened since I left. When I come back, I'll tell you."

_"Promise?"_

"Yea. I promise."

A chuckle from the other end. _"Maybe I'm just a bit lonely. Conan-kun went with his mother to America yesterday…it's strange without him here. This may sound strange, and don't you dare laugh, but…it felt like he was watching me in your stead."_

He didn't laugh.

_"He's gone…and you're gone…how soon is 'soon', Shinichi?"_

Shinichi closed his eyes. "I can't say. It's top secret. But…a week. Or less. Let's leave it at that." _Tomorrow or the day after more likely, but…I've already said too much. I doubt there are any bugs in the house…tousan checked. But just in case…_

Silence on the other end.

Shinichi tried to bring the mood back up. "Ba'a'rou. What are you worrying, for? Things will work out. By next week, we'll be walking to school together again! It's not the end of the world…it's the beginning!"

_"…baka."_

Shinichi chuckled. "Hey, hey…I told you not to cry…"

_"I'm not crying!!"_

The tears in her voice said otherwise, but Shinichi didn't call her out on it this time.

He wanted to tell her…in case he didn't make it back. But for some reason, the words got stuck in his throat. How could he tell her something so important over the phone?

It might be the last time he got to speak with her in this world, but…he still couldn't tell her. When he opened his mouth to try, something completely different came out.

"I probably have a ton of schoolwork to make up…"

A chuckle from the other end. _"I'm sure Teitan's super genius can easily catch up from where he left off."_

Shinichi chuckled, though he was a tad disappointed in himself. He didn't want to talk about schoolwork. He wanted to talk about _them_. But…he just couldn't.

As they chatted about mundane subjects, Shinichi's thoughts strayed. _I promise, Ran. If I make it back alive…you deserve to know the truth. Everything…I'll tell you everything, even if you don't feel the same way after hearing it. When this is all over…I'll tell you __**everything**__._

* * *

Heiji yawned as he sat with his head propped up by his hand, elbow on the desk.

Why was he here?

They were going to be risking their lives the very next day, and of all things, he was in _school_.

Then again, he couldn't skip out today without his father getting suspicious. Tomorrow, sure…he'd leave the house as per normal, then take the train to Tokyo.

Tomorrow…

Heiji had tuned out the math teacher half an hour ago when class started as he stared blankly at the equations on the board.

It felt surreal. To sit in math class. Sure, he did it every weekday, but for some reason, he just didn't feel like he was _there_ despite the fact that he was.

He was (supposedly) listening to a lecture on mathematics like a normal student, but the next day, he'd be running into a warehouse occupied by Japan's, and maybe the world's, most deadly syndicate.

A chill ran down his spine.

He wouldn't admit it, but he was afraid. He was sure that his other two 'partners in crime' were just as scared as he was. But, none of them showed it. None could afford to. If they showed any sign of it, then one of them would talk the other out of going.

Yusaku had already tried to talk Shinichi out of it, but Heiji's friend hadn't budged on the issue.

There was excitement, there was fear, and there was a certain detachment. And, Heiji swore he could feel all of those at the same time.

Heiji, again, stared vacantly at the board. _What am I doing here? Sitting in class when we'll be risking our lives tomorrow…am I trying to be normal? If I die tomorrow, I'll have spent my last day on Earth before the attack sitt'n in a classroom. How lame is that?_

It took all of his self control not to burst out in laughter. Even so, he had to disguise a couple chuckles as a cough.

Though he didn't know why, he found it funny.

That he was seated in class with tomorrow's mission on the horizon. _When Kudou was shrunk, he didn't know it was coming…he said he had gone to school like normal that day, and everything changed at night. I would envy him at this moment if I knew he wasn't worry'n about it just as much. I wonder how Kuroba is taking it…_

It took Heiji a moment to realize that someone was prodding him. When he pulled himself back to the real world, he noticed that some kids were out of their seats, and others were out of the room. The teacher was gone, and Kazuha stood next to his desk with a raised eyebrow.

"What're you doing, Heiji?" Kazuha questioned him. "It's lunchtime. More accurately, it's been lunchtime for the past ten minutes. You've been sitt'n there like a zombie in all of our classes. Is some'n wrong?"

"None of your business…" Heiji replied as he leaned back.

"Are you ill?" Kazuha placed a hand to his forehead.

"Knock it off!" Heiji flushed as he swatted at her hand.

"Nope, you feel normal enough…for _you_ at least…" Kazuha pulled her hand back, then sent him a glare. "What's with the space-case act, Heiji? What's go'n on?"

"Noth'n!"

"You said you wanna walk to school by yourself tomorrow. That's odd. You're act'n like a zombie right now. That…well, it can be normal for you sometimes, but…"

"Look, I said it's noth'n…I mean it!" Heiji glared at her.

Around them, a few others snickered at the "lover's spat".

Heiji felt a growl rise in his throat. _Oh, hell…_

Kazuha snapped at the cat-callers while Heiji's expression melted from angry to serious.

Heiji frowned. _Possibly my last day alive, and I'm in school, argue'n with Kazuha as if tomorrow is just another normal school day. What the hell is wrong with me?_

He was startled when Kazuha grabbed his arm and started to drag him out of the classroom.

"H-hey! Kazuha! What're you do'n!?" Heiji stammered.

"Leave'n the room! We need'ta talk! You've been acting weird all day!"

That said, she just about bodily dragged him from the classroom.

She stopped when they got outside, around the back of the building. There were a few groups of students here and there eating lunch, but otherwise, it was fairly empty.

"Okay…talk," Kazuha demanded.

Heiji stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Noth'n to talk about…"

"Liar! You're a terrible liar, Heiji. Did'ja know that?"

"…do now…"

"It's written all over your face that you're ly'n. I want the _truth_…!"

"There's noth'n go'n on, and even if there was, I wouldn't tell ya cause it might be dangerous for you to know!!" Heiji finally exploded.

Kazuha stood there, mouth still slightly open, as she stared at him in shock.

Heiji immediately stepped back with wide eyes as he realized that he had just revealed that he _was_ up to something.

"Dangerous…Heiji, what exactly are you doing?" Kazuha didn't shout this time. Rather, her voice was quieter…almost _scared_. "It feels like you're go'n far away…"

"Ahou…I'm not go'n far." _I hope not…_

Kazuha frowned.

"Really! Don't worry! It's not like I'm involved in someth'n criminal! Me? Come on, Kazuha…if anything, I'd be involved in take'n down those criminals!"

After saying that, Heiji wondered if he should just tape his mouth shut before he said anything else. Sure, Kazuha wasn't a detective, but she wasn't stupid, either.

What was that expression?

Loose lips sink ships…?

That was it, wasn't it?

Heiji decided right then and there that he wasn't going to say another word.

However, Kazuha's downcast and worried expression made him go back on that decision.

"It's not that big a deal, Kazuha…really. Don't worry…"

He expected her to quip back with the usual "I'm not worried about you, ahou", and was mildly concerned when she didn't say that.

"Kazuha?"

"It's something like that, isn't it. Something you can't tell the police…can't tell your father. You're go'n after someone really dangerous, aren't you. And it starts tomorrow."

Heiji didn't trust himself to say anything. If he talked, he might just blurt out the entire thing…and, Kazuha knew enough to put her in mortal danger as it was. He settled for keeping his gaze averted.

Kazuha stared at the ground as she pushed back tears. "You've done some crazy stuff before, but……this is something super-big, isn't it."

"That wasn't a question."

"Can't you tell your father about it…?"

"No!" Heiji looked back up, his voice firm. "No. I won't tell him, and neither will you! You can't tell him or even your own father! Not even Otaki-han!"

"Why!? You're gonna do something really dangerous, right!? Why no tell the police?! They'll help…!"

"They'll get in the way of this!"

"Ahou!! How can the police _get in the way_ of a dangerous situation…!?"

"If I tell them, they could just get themselves killed, boke! It's for their own good!"

He liked shouting a lot better than feeling bad about not being able to tell her anything. He preferred to be arguing with her rather than watching her struggle with tears.

Unfortunately, it seemed like each time he opened his mouth to argue back, he said something incriminating.

"Just…stop ask'n, will ya!?" Heiji finally lost it. "I don't wanna tell you…I can't tell you! The more you ask, the worse it gets! And, geez, I end up blurt'n stuff out whether I want to or not! It's your fault for ask'n! So quit it!"

"My fault…!? You're the one go'n off on some mysterious crime-bust'n adventure without tell'n anyone! If you get hurt, who'll know?!"

"I won't be alone there, ahou! And, I won't get hurt!"

"You're always like that! Why can't you just _tell me_ for once…?!"

"Because I don't want you to know information that could get you hurt or killed!!"

Both were breathing hard, a bit flushed from their argument, but Heiji's last statement had caused Kazuha's retort to die on her tongue.

Heiji pulled back with a frown as he looked away and put his hands back in his pockets uncomfortably.

Kazuha backed down and looked away.

Silence engulfed the two.

Then, Kazuha broke it. "You…you'll come back, right? This dangerous thing you can't tell me about…you'll come back?"

Heiji nodded, though he didn't trust himself to verbally reply. He couldn't be sure if he would be back or not…how could he possibly tell her that?

Once again, silence fell over them.

Then, there was a sniffle. Then another.

Heiji looked up in surprise, and was even more shocked to see tears roll down Kazuha's cheeks. He floundered silently as he stood rooted to the spot. She was _crying_…what should he do? What _could_ he do?

Kazuha made the decision for him as she shook her head and wiped away her tears, then got herself under control. _If he's going to do something dangerous, I can't cry. Smile, Kazuha…see him off with a smile._

Heiji was confused as hell when she went from crying to smiling. Though there were still tears in her eyes, she smiled at him.

"You'll take the omamori, right?" Kazuha asked softly.

Heiji blinked, then nodded. "Yea…"

"Good."

Heiji scratched the back of his neck, then sighed. "Kazuha?"

The girl looked up.

Heiji grinned confidently at her.

Kazuha smiled in return.

"I dunno about you…but I'm starve'n. Is there any time left ta lunch?" Heiji grinned as he finally broke the silence.

Kazuha laughed as she struggled not to cry. _Ahou…_

* * *

He didn't flip her skirt.

Sure, his escape route would be limited due to the fact that he had sprained his knee (he said he had tripped down the stairs), but he had flipped her skirt with minor injuries before.

Aoko paused in her thoughts. Was a sprain 'minor'? A twist was minor…but a sprain wasn't a break…

She shook her head. No getting distracted.

For the past couple months, Kaitou had been more of an enigma to her than usual. His magic skills had gotten better, of course, and there were the typical arguments over Kid, but…

She couldn't figure him out.

And now more so than ever.

Aoko glanced behind her for a moment. She wasn't the only one interested in Kaitou's behavior…Hakuba Saguru, who had joined their class a few months ago, was always interested in Kaitou.

Though, the two got along like cats and mice.

Nothing was any different today…except for the fact that Kaitou hadn't flipped her skirt or peeped on the girl's changing room. He had just returned to school today…he had been out since Thursday, and she couldn't get ahold of him over the weekend, either.

Then, he returns today with that mysterious injury. Though he would grin like usual and play pranks, he didn't flip her skirt.

Major red flag to Aoko.

Hakuba seemed to find it odd, too, and confronted Kaitou before their classes started.

Kaitou, as usual, skirted around the issue and then proceeded to make a fool of the British detective.

Akako, too, seemed unusually concerned, and once again, gave Kaitou some sort of cryptic warning about a "black shadow on the horizon painted with red".

Kaitou had stared at her a moment, then rolled his eyes.

At least the way he dealt with Hakuba and Akako were normal.

But going this far without flipping her skirt, even injured, wasn't normal.

Plus, if she looked hard enough, she could see something just under the surface.

Aoko thought back to his reactions earlier. He had seemed _eager_ to get into his daily argument with Hakuba…usually, it seemed to annoy the hell out of him, but this time, he looked happy about it.

One could have mistaken that as a prelude to whatever he was going to do to Hakuba for bothering him, but Aoko knew otherwise.

And his reaction to the eerie message Akako had give him…for one split second, he had a serious look on his face. For a fraction in time, his mouth had been drawn taught and there was something in his eyes that _scared_ Aoko.

But then, it was gone…and it left her wondering if she had even seen it to begin with.

She had.

She knew she did.

He acted normal, sans flipping her skirt or doing something that day to make her chase him with her mop, but there was something going on. She didn't understand it, but it was like she could _feel_ it.

Aoko glanced over at his desk.

Kaitou appeared to be asleep in his seat, as per usual, but Aoko knew he wasn't.

That was it…

Aoko sat up straight.

There was a tension in his shoulders…it wasn't noticeable unless someone looked for it, but it was there.

Something was bothering him.

The second the bell rang, Aoko marched over to his desk.

Kaitou opened his eyes and grinned up at her as if he didn't have a care in the world.

Aoko crossed her arms.

"Afternoon, Aoko!" Kaitou chirped. "What brings you over here?"

"Class is over, baka."

"It is?" Kaitou looked around, then laughed. "So it is! I guess I fell asleep, again! Seriously, our teacher is the queen of monotone voices!" He wasn't really asleep…he had been going over the plan in his head for the next day.

After all, he was better safe than sorry. And, he knew that Shinichi and Heiji would be thinking about it, as well, to make sure there wasn't anything they missed during one of their many planning sessions.

"Kaitou!! Are you listening?!"

Kaitou blinked at her, then chuckled. "Nope!"

Aoko twitched and resisted the urge to hit him. "We need to talk."

"Huh? About what?" Kaitou tilted his head quizzically. "If it's about that prank on Hakuba this morning…"

"No…it's about _you_."

Kaitou pointed at himself with a questioning look.

It was almost cute, but Aoko pushed that thought aside.

"Yes, _you_! Unless there's another Kuroba Kaitou sitting in front of me!"

Kaitou scratched his head. "Did I do something? I don't recall angering you yet for today…"

Aoko twitched.

"Ah…that was it, huh?" Kaitou snickered. "You're used to me doing something, so since I didn't do anything, you're angry? Weird girl…"

"IDIOT!!" Aoko roared at him.

The half of the class that hadn't left the room for lunch break stared at them a moment, then went back to what they were doing.

Aoko yelling at Kaitou was commonplace by now. In fact, it would have been more unusual if she _didn't_ yell at him.

Kaitou stared at her with wide eyes.

"If that's how you act when I'm _worried_ about you, then…!!" Aoko started.

"Worried about me?" Kaitou looked even more confused, though internally, he was sweating a bit. _Does she know…? No…maybe she's just saying that because of my supposed flight down the stairs…_

Aoko squinted at him, almost forehead to forehead with the teen. _Just like I thought…there are lines of tension on his face and in his eyes. _

Kaitou stared back with the confused façade still up. "Um…Aoko? What are…?"

Aoko pulled back, then put her hands on her hips. "Whatever is going on that you're worried about…can't you tell me?"

"Worried? Me? Come on…those two words don't even go together!" Kaitou was better at lying than Heiji was, but Aoko was a tough audience to fool.

Though, normally, she would just shrug it off and accept it as the truth…

Today, she didn't seem to give.

"You're lying."

"No I'm not."

"You are!"

"I have nothing to be worried about…!"

"You were happy when Hakuba-kun came over to interrogate you this morning! I saw it on your face!" Aoko pointed at him accusingly.

"Well, yea…because that meant it was time for my daily prank on him!" Kaitou grinned.

"You were worried when Akako-san gave you that weird message."

"Don't be silly! Why would I be worried about her crazy fortune telling?"

Aoko clenched her hands into fists.

Kaitou was surprised to see tears in her eyes. _What…?_

"Why do you lie to me?"

The others of the class hadn't been interested in their argument…but this was a new turn. Thus, every eye was rooted to them.

Kaitou glanced around nervously. "What do you mean?" _And, that moron, Hakuba, just __**has**__ to still be in the room, of course…_

"You haven't done anything perverted today…you weren't even reading the newspaper! You always read the newspaper!" Aoko blinked back tears. "I know something is…!"

Kaitou stood up and grabbed her arm.

Aoko stopped mid-rant.

"I'd rather not be yelled at in front of an audience. It's preferable to entertain a group of people with magic tricks than a squabble. Let's go." Kaitou gently tugged her out of the room. _If she blurts something out that makes Hakuba suspicious…I'll not only have him on my ass about Kid, but he might poke his head into tomorrow's operation._

Aoko was surprised by Kaitou's behavior, but followed him up the stairs of the school.

It was only when they were on the roof, and Kaitou was sure they were alone, when he let go of her wrist.

Kaitou sighed and limped over to the fence, then sat down against it. "You're right…I'm worried about something. But, it's nothing big…just daily stuff…"

"Stop lying, Kaitou. You always have that stupid mask on your face…can't you just drop it for _once_!?" Aoko stormed over to him.

Kaitou stared at her in surprise. _She's…pretty perceptive today…_ Then, his eyes narrowed as he glanced at her. "You were talking with Hakuba, weren't you."

Aoko started, then crossed her arms and looked away. "And if I was? Even _he_ is worried about you!"

"Yea, right…"

"What's going on, Kaitou?"

Kaitou didn't reply or speak for a while. He wasn't about to tell her about Kid, but he would have to give some excuse as to why he wouldn't be in school the next day. His mother and Jii knew about what was going to happen tomorrow, but they were the only ones.

Sans Shinichi, said teen's parents, and Heiji, of course.

And Akai and Interpol…

"I won't be in school tomorrow. I have something to take care of."

"What 'something'?" Aoko demanded.

Kaitou shrugged as he gazed at the school grounds. "Just…something."

Why was he even talking? He should tell her anything. She would be in danger, and might worry about him.

Though, she seemed to be worried, already…Kaitou didn't like that. He didn't understand _why_, either. Sure, he felt different when he was around her, but…they were childhood friends, right?

Then again, Shinichi had teased him about that for some reason…which got him thinking about his feelings, which was something that no man should ever have to do in his opinion.

Especially one like him that hid his emotions.

There was a rustle of cloth that interrupted his thoughts, and he looked over as Aoko seated herself next to him.

"You'll be okay, right?" Aoko pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Kaitou…"

Kaitou leaned back against the fence, then smiled at her and produced a rose in his hand, which he handed to her. "You doubt me?"

Aoko couldn't help but smile as she took the offered flower. Though, she blushed a bit when her hand brushed his.

Kaitou, too, felt heat rise to his cheeks, but he couldn't really figure out why. However, what he did know was that he felt a little better about what was going to happen tomorrow.

Aoko twirled the rose in her fingers with a smile on her face. _He's probably tired from his sprained knee and having to limp all over the place…_There was a lingering doubt about that, but she pushed it aside. Kaitou's normalcy act had effectively staved off her current worries.

Kaitou, meanwhile, had a true smile on his face as he gazed tenderly at the girl. _Thanks, Aoko. _

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	6. Chapter 6

A S&W M36 revolver is one of the couple that are said to be a standard weapon for police in Japan.

There's never any mention on how good Heiji is with a gun, but I'm guessing he's lukewarm at best. The only time he fired one was in episode 118, manga chapter 188…and, he managed to hit some gasoline cases that started a fire, if I remember right. Plus, when he picked up the gun in episode 522 (manga chapter 651…though, it's not as bad in the manga chapter), he ignores at _least_ three gun safety rules…particularly for a loaded weapon.

Shinichi, on the other hand, seems to have perfect or near-perfect aim (referenced from the second movie).

* * *

Chapter 6

"From all outward appearances, it seems to be a normal abandoned warehouse…not the base of a criminal organization," Heiji mused as he was crouched behind a couple boxes. He wore a teal hooded sweatshirt (though, the hood was blue) and a pair of jeans with sneakers. He had his bokken strapped to his back, and a pistol in a pouch on his waist.

The pistol was the same type that Shinichi had on a shoulder strap, the standard for the police…a Smith and Wesson M36 revolver. It held five shots, and they had a box of extra ammo on them, but both teens hoped they wouldn't have to use their guns.

Shinichi wore a white button down shirt under a blue blazer that was left open, as well as a pair of khaki pants with sneakers. The soccer ball belt rested on his waist, and he had his stun watch on his left wrist.

Both teens wore a bulletproof vest under their shirts as well.

Shinichi peered out from around the box. "As soon as Akai goes in, we take the side entrance. When they see us go in, the ones waiting around on the outskirts will move into position to capture run-aways."

Heiji nodded and turned his cap to face forward.

They could have worn dark clothing like Shuuichi Akai had on…a black coat and hat…but both felt that they just couldn't bring themselves to wear black when confronting an organization that used that color as a trademark.

"And Kuroba?"

"On his way with the Kaitou Kid Taskforce…shh!" Shinichi suddenly hushed his companion.

Both looked over and saw Shuuichi tilt his head a bit, then move to the main garage entrance, gun in hand.

"That's the signal…let's go."

Heiji followed Shinichi as the two darted out to the side door. After a quick glance, they opened it and went inside.

Sure enough, it looked like an ordinary warehouse…boxes were stacked rather randomly in various spots, and there was a set of stairs leading to a catwalk or two above them.

Heiji stopped looking around when Shinichi tapped his shoulder and pointed to the far wall.

The service elevator sat there. It was currently in use, by the way that the cables moved, but it wasn't covered like most elevators were.

"That makes things easier…" Heiji mumbled as he followed Shinichi.

Shinichi nodded. "Though, they've probably already heard the elevator."

The two stopped at the top, glanced at each other, then grabbed onto a separate cable and started to half slide, half climb down.

It got darker as they approached where the elevator had stopped, and eerily enough, it was quiet, too.

"You think he was sniped off?" Heiji asked in a whisper as the two delicately landed on the top of the elevator.

"I hope not…maybe he decided to wait for us to back him up after all…" Shinichi removed the cover on the top of the elevator slowly. When he noted that the elevator was empty, he pulled it off and went down.

Heiji followed after him, and stood up from his crouched landing.

The doors to the elevator opened when the button was pushed, and both teens pressed themselves cautiously against the walls of the elevator, making sure they weren't across from the opening.

Still, it was silent, and there appeared to be nobody there.

Heiji and Shinichi cautiously crept out of the elevator and stuck close to the left hand wall.

"D'you think Akai goofed? Are they really here?" Heiji whispered.

"Dunno. It's…"

Before Shinichi could say 'too quiet', the sound of guns going off echoed throughout the corridor, and it was followed by footsteps.

Shinichi and Heiji raced towards the source of the noise, then immediately pulled back to avoid being hit by a bullet that grazed the corner they had been about to round.

Shuuichi appeared to be in a gun duel with one or two organization members.

At first, neither teen could see who the members were…but then, Shinichi recognized them.

"Gin……and Vermouth."

"Eh!?" Heiji exclaimed quietly.

"It's a dead end, too…where they're fighting. A lot of twists and turns, but that way is confirmed to be a dead end with just rooms for storage…" Shinichi frowned.

"Akai can handle himself. We gotta get the others to abandon ship." Heiji didn't like leaving the guy behind any more than Shinichi did…but the plan was for them to cause a riot and make the Organization flee into the hands of Interpol.

"We hafta check out the remaining rooms," Heiji stated.

Shinichi frowned as the sounds of the gunfight moved farther towards the dead-end area, and paused. _Odd…I know the Organization typically moves in pairs, but…why Gin and Vermouth? I heard that both of them don't like Akai…but I've never seen Gin without his partner. Is Vodka somewhere around here, or did Gin really pair up with Vermouth to get at Akai?_

"Hey, Kudou! Stop space'n out, or…"

Heiji was cut off when Shinichi looked up and saw the glint of light that reflected off the muzzle of a gun.

"Get down!" Shinichi shouted as he rushed forward.

The two hit the ground as the gun went off, and Heiji winced.

"I should have known…" Shinichi grabbed Heiji's arm and pulled him around the corner as another bullet was fired and hit the ground where they had just been. "Vodka…" He blinked when there was a grunt from next to him.

Heiji was slightly doubled over, a hand over his ribs and a pained expression on his face. There was no blood, and he was suddenly glad that they had been forced to wear the vests.

"Hattori?!"

"Don't sound so upset…the impact just knocked the wind out of me, that's all. The vest protected me from the shot." Heiji panted, then stood up straight. "Dammit. I can't go up against him with a bokken when he has a gun…"

Footsteps was the signal that the man was approaching.

"We have to get around him…there should be other members, so we can't just run and hope he follows us to the police. I'll try to use the stun watch on him. Cover me."

"Cover you? How? He has a _gun_!"

"So do you."

"Damn it, Kudou…"

Shinichi nodded to Heiji, and flipped open the case of the watch to expose the firing mechanism.

Heiji muttered under his breath and pulled out the revolver, then shakily pulled the hammer back.

The footsteps got louder.

"One…two…" Shinichi jumped out as he dove for the space on the other side of their passage in the intersection, and fired the watch as he went.

Vodka stumbled when it hit him, but only fell to his knees.

Heiji held the gun steady as he stepped out and pointed the weapon at the man. "Drop the gun."

Vodka didn't move.

"Drop it or I'll fire!" Heiji shouted as his hands trembled.

Vodka suddenly laughed. "You won't shoot."

"I might…"

"You're a kid. You've probably never shot another person before. You're that detective of the West, right? You can't pull that trigger." Vodka stood up and pointed his own gun at Heiji. "I, on the other hand…have shot many people."

There was a small 'thump' of something hitting the ground just behind Heiji, then a soccer ball whizzed past the teen and nailed Vodka in the face.

Blood poured from Vodka's nose as the big man stumbled back. His gun went off when it clattered to the ground, but the bullet hit the wall.

Heiji let out a breath of relief. "Bout time, Kudou…"

"Don't relax…he's still conscious!" Shinichi shouted.

"Got'cha!" Heiji hit the safety of his weapon and put it back in the pouch, then pulled his bokken from his back and lunged at Vodka, who was cradling his broken nose.

Shinichi headed over as well…though, that was probably what saved the both of them when a shot was fired from somewhere in the darkness behind Vodka. The bullet missed Heiji, who had completed his swing, and skimmed Shinichi's top right shoulder instead of hitting his chest where it had initially been aimed.

"Another one!?" Heiji exclaimed as he held the bokken in front of him in a ready stance.

Vodka lay on the ground in front of him after the teen had delivered the blow to the man's collarbone.

"I'm not surprised…" Shinichi panted and reached for the button that would release another soccer ball.

However, the center of the device was destroyed before he could, which sent shrapnel into his hand.

Shinichi hissed in pain and pulled his now bleeding left hand back. "They took another shot…must be one of their sharp shooters…"

"This is dandy…" Heiji muttered.

Suddenly, Vodka shot to his feet with his gun in his hand, then fired point blank at Heiji's chest.

Heiji gasped and stumbled back.

"Hattori!?" Shinichi exclaimed, then swore and pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Vodka.

Heiji fell to his knees with his arms wrapped around his chest. Again, there was no blood, which meant that the vest had done its job, but there was a high chance that firing at such a close range had broken a rib or two. It sure felt that way to him.

"Like I told that kid…you wouldn't fire…"

"Not unless I'm not aiming to kill." With that, Shinichi pulled back the trigger.

Vodka let out a pained shout as the bullet tore through his right hand, which forced him to drop the gun.

Shinichi lunged forward and grabbed the gun despite the cover fire from the operative that was somewhere behind Vodka. He then fired another shot into Vodka's leg to keep the man from getting to them too quickly, then ran back to Heiji.

"Hattori? Come on…" Shinichi holstered his own pistol while he pointed Vodka's pistol at the man. With his free hand, he tugged Heiji around the corner as another couple of bullets flew over Vodka's crouched form and missed them.

"Damn if this plan hasn't been blown to hell…" Shinichi muttered. He could still faintly hear gunfire from the other area of the third floor, which meant that their companion was still alive.

On the minus side, he hadn't seen anyone go to the elevator. That meant that some were either on the second floor and escaped that way, or there was a staircase somewhere.

Or, that none of them had left, and didn't feel threatened by the presence of one supposed FBI member and two teenagers.

"You alright?" Shinichi asked as he peered around the corner.

"Y-yea…it didn't pierce the skin…think I busted a couple of ribs, though…" Heiji sucked in breaths of air against the pain as he gripped his bokken tightly.

"Come out, detectives…let's make this painless, shall we?" the voice of Vodka echoed down the corridors.

Shinichi felt eyes on them, and knew that the man's companion had probably moved location to get a better shot at them. He figured he might regret it later, but they were better off trying to go around Vodka rather than through him.

"Hattori." Shinichi pointed down the hallway they had hidden themselves in.

Heiji caught on and nodded. He was a bit pale, but had regained his breath.

Shinichi switched Vodka's pistol for his own, and held it ready as he took point.

Heiji followed, bokken raised as he jogged after the other.

Except for the faint sounds of gunfight on the floor, and Vodka's calls for them, it was silent.

Something that unnerved them.

The pair of eyes Shinichi had felt left, but there was still the suffocating atmosphere of the warehouse.

The two stopped and peered around another corner. There was a hallway across from them, and another to their right.

"Damn place is like a maze…think anyone used that elevator, yet?" Heiji whispered.

"No clue. But we can't go back there…chances are, Vodka is guarding it."

"So, we've passed the three you know well…that leaves us with the others that we don't know."

"One of the snipers is probably with Vodka. Or, split up from him to search for us."

"Yea…I figured that, too. We should keep moving."

"Your ribs?"

"Not that bad. It hurts, but it could be worse. What about you? I see blood by your shoulder…not to mention your hand…"

"Hurts, but could be worse." Shinichi grinned grimly.

Heiji mirrored the expression.

Then, the two rounded the corner and dashed carefully down it.

The hallway was dark, and they certainly didn't expect to run headlong into one of the operatives.

It was a woman with a choker and short hair…definitely not their possible ally on the inside.

The woman had a rifle slung over her shoulder by a strap, and a handgun in her hand.

Shinichi and Heiji immediately dodged in opposite directions as the three got their bearings back and the gun went off.

The bullet hit the ground where they had been, then another shot was fired at Shinichi before a third went to Heiji.

Shinichi ducked, and Heiji moved as the bullets hit the wall.

A pipe was hit on the fourth shot, which had apparently contained a gas that shot out and obscured the hallway in mist.

The woman named Chianti shouted a curse as she fired two more rounds of her pistol and shouted for them to come out.

Heiji did so…bokken blazing.

The weapon was thrust so that it smashed into her abdomen, which made her fold as the air was knocked out of her. Despite that, she pulled the rifle off her back and swung it around, which caught Heiji across the side of the head. Luckily, most of the blow was absorbed by the hat. It was flimsy as a helmet, but probably saved him from anything besides a small cut.

Shinichi squinted as he tried to see in the fog, then made out the two figures that struggled. He ran over and hit the woman over the head with the butt of his gun, which knocked her out.

Heiji groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head. He squinted at the wet, sticky substance on his fingers, and sighed. "I guess I should be glad I wasn't knocked out or killed…"

"Close range weapons, I recall saying days ago, would _not_ be a good idea with these people…you're _very_ lucky!" Shinichi didn't know if he was angry, worried, or scared…maybe a little of all three.

Heiji shook his head to clear his ringing ears, then slowly stood up. "Let's keep go'n, Kudou. After I cuff this woman, that is."

They had been given a pair of handcuffs each in case they were unable to avoid conflict and managed to capture any of the people.

Shinichi's eyes darted around in the mist as Heiji cuffed the woman's hands behind her back. "They came from the direction we're headed…the boss can't be too far off…"

Heiji nodded, and the two sprinted down the hallway.

* * *

They passed doors, which they checked for sounds before opening, but none seemed to lead to what they were searching for.

As they continued on, the sound of gunfire was only audible due to the reverberation of sound off the walls of the close quarters area.

Shinichi rubbed his injured shoulder with a grimace when they turned up another closet in their search.

Heiji's ribs burned, but he said nothing. They were both hurting a bit, after all, so there was no point in saying anything about it.

Because neither was going to give up.

Though it seemed hopeless, both knew that they were getting close.

It had been dark when they first arrived on the third floor, but now, the area was illuminated enough to see old stains on the walls and each other's features perfectly.

The two grinned at each other.

They were close.

Heiji opened a door slightly and squinted into the darkened room. It looked a little bigger than the closest they had found, so he motioned for Shinichi.

Shinichi nodded and pulled the other, now empty, gun out of his pocket. He had emptied Vodka's gun into the ground when Heiji cuffed Chianti, but decided to hold onto it just in case.

Heiji threw open the door at the same time a gun went off. This time, the bullet had hit its mark…though, a little lower than the shooter probably intended since the shooter's eyes hadn't yet adjusted from being in the dark to the light that flooded the room.

Heiji fell to one knee as he clutched the bleeding wound on his left thigh, just above the knee.

Shinichi shouted his friend's name, then flinched as a bullet whizzed past his face and opened a shallow cut on his right cheek. He caught sight of the rifle, and drop kicked Vodka's gun.

The rifle went off, but the bullet hit the ceiling since his aim was true.

It hurt to kick a gun, but it was better than risking fatally hitting the guy since he had only spotted the gun and not the operative.

Heiji stumbled to his feet and switched the lights on in the room as he raised his bokken in a trembling hand.

It was a male operative, code named Korn. Another sniper, though he had just lost his rifle.

He still had a hand gun, however, which he pulled from his vest.

And, he wasn't alone…Kir was in the room, too, gun trained on the doorway.

"End of the line, kids…" Korn smirked.

Shinichi glanced at Kir, then at Korn. Then, he smirked. "We'll see about that. The room that's behind this one…that's where your boss is, right? We already went through Vodka and that other woman."

Heiji panted in pain, but nodded. He held his bokken up, but Shinichi had his gun trained on Korn.

Korn suddenly laughed. "So that's your aim? The Boss? Well, too bad for you…but he's long gone, now."

"Eh?!" Shinichi and Heiji exclaimed.

Then, they heard it.

It was faint, and probably just started up recently, but they heard it.

The sound of an engine.

"A motor boat?!" the two teens realized at the same time.

"Good, good…you've realized it. Now…you can both die." Korn raised the gun.

Heiji and Shinichi exchanged a quick glance, then both moved into action.

Shinichi fired at almost the same time Korn did, but was just a tad faster. Once again, his aim was for the gun hand and nothing else.

The bullet struck true, and Korn's bullet strayed and hit the wall as his hand was jerked to the side and he dropped the gun.

Heiji rushed forward with his bokken despite the pain in his leg, and swung down.

Korn, though, was almost ready for that, and caught the bokken.

Kir whipped her gun on Heiji, but didn't fire.

"Kudou! Go! You can still catch him if you hurry!" Heiji shouted as he struggled against the man.

"But…" Shinichi hesitated.

"I'd just slow you down with this injury, anyway! GO!" Heiji commanded.

Shinichi paused, then nodded and hurried past the two.

"Kir! Shoot him!" Korn demanded.

Kir moved.

"This is all or noth'n, neechan!" Heiji called to her. "The others from this warehouse have probably been caught by now. You don't hafta show loyalty to them! Let him go!"

Kir hesitated.

"KIR!"

The woman trembled, but didn't pull the trigger on Shinichi, who barreled through the door and headed for the back exit that the boss had taken.

Kir, real name Hidemi, lowered her weapon.

Heiji grinned, then yelped in pain as Korn shouldered him back.

The bokken snapped in half, with one part in Korn's hands and the handle in Heiji's hands.

Hidemi knelt down next to the fallen teen to help him.

Heiji winced, then stared at the weapon. "Are all these guys monsters?!"

"Yes," Hidemi replied.

Korn, meanwhile, had gone for his fallen gun, and rolled to a crouched position with the gun in his left hand, aimed at them.

In a flash, Hidemi raised her own weapon and fired.

Korn stared at them through the barrel, then coughed in pain and dropped the gun from the bullet wound to his left shoulder that would prevent him from accurately firing.

Heiji wiped sweat from his forehead. "You're either a lousy shot, or you did that on purpose."

"Little of both…I was aiming for his hand…" Hidemi replied, then walked over and cracked the back of her gun over Korn's head.

The man dropped to the ground, unconscious.

"We can't celebrate yet…" Heiji winced as he used the wall to help himself back to his feet. "Say'n he didn't run, Vodka is still roam'n the halls for Kudou and me."

"Kudou, you said…then you're…?"

"Hattori Heiji. Meitantei of the West!" Heiji grinned at her. "Can I trust you to help? Kudou said you weren't really on their side."

Hidemi hesitated. "But…I…"

"About Akai? He's fine. Probably run'n that Gin guy and Vermouth for their money. We just hafta leave at this point. Interpol will do the rest."

Hidemi shook her head in amazement, then tore off a strip from the bottom of her shirt and moved over to Heiji. "If we still have to face Vodka and walk out of here…let's wrap that for now."

Heiji paused, then smiled gratefully, and a tad painfully, when she wrapped the torn cloth around the wound on his leg. "Thanks, neechan."

"That's my line. Will your friend really be alright? The Boss is ten times the monster that any of these guys are…and I just heard that. I wasn't allowed in their meeting room…I was to guard the room…"

"Kudou will get him. He's been wait'n a long time for this. There's no way he's gonna let that guy get away."

"But…"

"Let's go." Heiji limped to the door. He didn't want her to voice his fears for his friend's life, because that would mean that he admitted to them.

Hidemi followed after she tied up Korn, and the two cautiously made their way down the hallways. It was eerily silent now, compared to earlier when there had been a lot of gunfire going on.

Heiji remembered the way they came and easily was able to find their way back. Especially with the still unconscious Chianti on the ground.

"Your work?"

"Me'n Kudou. I hit her with the bokken, he knocked her out with the butt of his gun.

"Creative. You two came in here up against a deadly organization and didn't kill anyone?"

"We're just good. That's all."

Hidemi chuckled.

The two found Vodka not too long afterwards…the gorilla like man was unconscious on the ground from a head injury, hands tied behind his back.

And, it was recent, too, since the one that was responsible was still there.

"You're…?!" Heiji exclaimed. He hadn't actually seen in person until that day, the man called Shuuichi Akai, but he recognized him from the picture they had during planning.

The man had stains of blood on his body, one on his right arm, and another on his left leg. He was breathing hard, and looked like he had gone through hell, but he somehow managed to stand up.

Hidemi pulled away from him with a frown.

But Shuuichi just smiled painfully at her. "No hard feelings. It had to be done."

Hidemi averted her gaze all the same.

"You survived against them? Wait a sec…" Heiji leaned over and pulled at Shuuichi's cheek. When no mask came up, he smiled. "Okay!"

Hidemi stared at the teen with wide eyes, but Shuuichi just chuckled.

"Checking to make sure I'm not Vermouth in disguise?"

"Yep. I mean, you managed to survive a gunfight with the two that Kudou seemed the most wary of. I hadta be sure."

Shuuichi winced and placed a hand against a bleeding wound on his side. "None of us will be alive for much longer if we lose too much blood down in this hell. We should get out……where's Kudou?"

"Went after the Boss. This neechan helped me against the guy that shot me in the leg, and I couldn't follow Kudou out. He'll get him, though. What _did_ happen to Gin and Vermouth, anyway?"

"Gin's dead." The amount of lead the man had taken before he finally fell was actually creepy…or, would be, to anyone that had never dealt with the monster.

"And Vermouth?" Heiji inquired as they moved toward the elevator.

"Injured and tied up tightly enough that, between that and her injuries, she won't get away before Interpol swarms the place to do a sweep for members that didn't make it back to the surface," Shuuichi replied, then leaned against the side of the elevator with a grimace.

Heiji, too, was grateful to lean against the wall.

Hidemi uncomfortably shifted as the elevator took them to the first floor.

"Relax, neechan…we're finally gett'n out, and the rest is water beneath the bridge till it's all sorted out and what not. Sides…if ya don't give him a hand, he won't be able to walk outta here. I can manage, but I can't support him in my condition."

Hidemi hesitated, but finally relented and supported some of Shuuichi's weight as they exited the elevator.

Heiji never felt so grateful to see the groups of officers that stood outside, and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine even more. When they came out, a couple medics rushed over to them along with some officers.

"Where's Kuroba?" Heiji asked when he caught sight of Yusaku amongst the faces.

"He said he heard a motor boat, and went to check it out…" Yusaku didn't look too pleased that the teen had left before could stop him. "Where's Shinichi?"

"Went after the boss…I'm sure he'll be okay." Heiji didn't know who he was trying to convince with that line.

Yusaku nodded, however, and let the medical squad take care of the injured teen. He looked over at the building with concern in his eyes. _Shinichi…_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	7. Chapter 7

"The Final Problem" was and is my favorite Sherlock Holmes story out of the entire series (I'm more of an Agatha Christie fan, but I liked that story by Doyle). It wasn't the struggle at the end that caught me, but the way that Holmes and Moriarty both tried to stay three steps ahead of each other. Reference to the scenes Shinichi talks about in this chapter are from that story.

Japanese:

"Bocchama" – Short for "obocchama"; means "young master". It's often a title used by servants to rich or high-status people, but it's also what Jii calls Kaitou

* * *

Chapter 7

There was still a small motorboat left at the lake that Shinichi nabbed. Either the organization was paranoid, or had been expecting something, because there were a couple others prepared, and all had the keys on them for a fast get-away.

Shinichi revved up the motor and pulled out of the dock. He could still see the boat that the Boss was in, though he could only see a silhouette of the Boss on it. It was a solidly built man that was, not surprisingly, dressed in all black.

Shinichi tore off after him. _I won't let you get away!_

The Boss obviously hadn't been going at full speed, since Shinichi was able to catch up. Then again, Shinichi used some twists and turns to get his boat closer to the one the boss was on.

The guy had slicked back black hair, and beady eyes that glanced behind him to see who was following him. When he realized that it wasn't one of his operatives, he pulled out a pistol and took a couple potshots at Shinichi.

They missed, but came very close to doing damage. One hit the steering wheel, another hit the glass visor of the boat, and a third managed to connect with the bulletproof vest Shinichi wore.

Shinichi ducked the next volley, since the man had scarily accurate aim despite driving a boat.

The bank on either side of the lake was becoming more and more visible as the lake seemed to taper off slightly towards the opposite end, with rocky walls from the mountains that surrounded that area.

After ducking another two bullets when he saw the gun pointed back at him, Shinichi pulled out his own pistol and fired at the motor of the boat in front of him.

It missed, and hit the spot next to the motor.

Shinichi cursed as a bullet grazed his left ear. It didn't cut him, but there might be a small burn from the heat and speed of it passing so close to his head. While he seemed to have problems aiming while traveling via boat, the Boss apparently had no problems with it.

Just as he was wondering how many guns and-or bullets the Boss had on him, the fire stopped.

Shinichi peered back out, and saw that they were getting even closer to the opposite shore…enough that they would have to start to slow down or they'd crash right through the dock on the other side.

The Boss, however, did something different. He reached back and over the side of the boat…then opened the gas tank on the side.

Shinichi blinked as oil poured out behind the boat, and soon, his own boat was treading more oil than water. _Shooting the oil might send it aflame, but it's a chance…what's he trying to…?_

It was the glint of the lighter that gave it away.

Shinichi cursed and leapt into the water seconds before the lighter set the oil aflame, which trailed to the boat Shinichi had been using.

Since it had been kicking up oil as it ran, it didn't take much for some errant flames to catch the motor.

The resulting explosion caused the lake to act like it had a tide, and sent Shinichi further under the water where he slammed up against some rocks after being tossed around by the current.

Bubbles escaped his mouth as he silently coughed from the impact, and despite his best attempts, he blacked out. Thus, he didn't feel the pair of hands that grabbed him and started to pull him to the surface.

* * *

When Shinichi woke up with a cough, he was surprised to see the sky above him, and felt some grass of the other bank below him. He ached in various spots, and his upper back throbbed from the impact on the rocks…but he was definitely still alive.

Shinichi sat up with a start. How long had he been unconscious? Where was he? Where did the boss go…?

Who saved him?

His last question was answered when an elderly voice asked him, "Are you alright?"

Shinichi glanced to the side and saw an old man in a suit with a worried expression on his face.

"My name is Jii, before you ask…I'm an old friend of Kuroba Toichi."

Shinichi might be a bit waterlogged, but his brain still functioned just fine. "Kuroba? Then, you know Kuroba Kaitou?"

Jii nodded. "I helped him bring over the Taskforce like planned…he disguised himself as an Interpol officer and met up with your father. After a couple agents ran out of the building and were caught…"

Shinichi blinked. _There must have been some on the second floor, after all…_

"…Kaitou-bocchama said he heard a motor boat, and feared that one of them was escaping through the lake. He changed back and took to the sky to follow, so I followed in my car along the side. We saw you jump into the water, then the explosion…"

"You saved me? Or Kuroba did?" Shinichi looked around with a couple coughs.

"I did…Kaitou-bocchama followed the man that had been escaping. He ordered me to retrieve you while he stopped the operative on the run…"

Shinichi's eyes widened, and he shot to his feet. He stumbled a moment from dizziness, then shook it off. "That wasn't just an operative! That was the Boss! Where did they go!?" _Dammit…Kuroba hasn't fully recovered from his previous injuries! He's going to get himself killed!_

Jii, with wide eyes, pointed towards the mountainside just past the forest.

"That far?" Shinichi groaned in frustration. He saw that Jii had parked his car, but even a car could only go another hundred feet before the open areas of grass disappeared into trees of the forest.

Jii nodded.

"Alright…I'm going to go after him. Call my father…do you need his number?"

"No…bocchama gave me the important phone numbers before the mission…"

"Good. Call him and tell him of the area, and that the Boss is somewhere here. We should have the Boss down by the time they get here, but just in case…"

Jii nodded. "I understand."

Shinichi smiled. "Sorry to order you around like this…"

"No, no…it's quite alright. Just…hurry…"

"I know. I won't let Kuroba die."

Jii nodded.

Shinichi took off running as fast as he could, and soon vanished from sight.

Jii blinked. _That boy can sure run fast…_he pushed that thought aside and ran back to the car to make the phone calls.

* * *

Kaitou had two current thoughts at the moment, besides 'oh, shit'. The first was that this operative was more monstrous than even Gin, whom Shinichi had described to them, or this was quite possibly the boss of the organization.

Either way, he almost cursed himself for going after the guy.

They were playing a deadly game of hide-and-seek in the forests near the top of the mountain. How they had gotten that high, Kaitou honestly didn't remember. He had flown after the guy on his glider, then landed when a bullet hit his cape. He learned from his mistakes…he made the cape out of a more durable material so that it wouldn't tear or break. Still, he didn't fancy being shot at, and decided to land.

It was difficult to follow the man on foot since his right knee sent up shocks of pain whenever he stepped down on that leg, but adrenaline had the pain diminished shortly afterwards.

After landing, he had nearly been hit three times by the Boss's shooting skills. His hat suffered a bullet through it, and another bullet had grazed his right arm just above the elbow. The third had hit a tree where he had been a second before he moved.

Sure, he was armed with his card gun and wore a bulletproof vest, but he'd rather not have to _use_ said items. As it was, the vest had taken a hit when the Boss had shot at him from the air. The first bullet hadn't been to his glider, but to his chest.

He had fired a couple of times as they ran through the forests. Trees became cover and camouflage for both of them, and rocks and roots on the ground tried to tangle them up.

Kaitou hadn't managed to hit the man with his card gun. The closest he got was a small tear in the arm of the man's suit…for which, he was repaid by a succession of four bullets that he narrowly avoided.

Now, the trees were thinning out…they were close to an overhang of the cliff.

Between firing and dodging, they had woven their way up one of the mountains.

Kaitou peered around a tree, then flinched and pulled back as a bullet hit the tree. He quickly ran to the next tree, then panted as he glanced back. _This is really bad. There's less and less cover, now…_

Another bullet narrowly missed his foot, which forced him to rush forward again to find another tree for cover. When he did, he quickly ducked behind it before a cold realization hit him.

Kaitou shivered and gritted his teeth. _The edge of the cliff…I can see it, now. That guy…don't tell me he's been forcing me to run to the cliff edge to corner me!?_

The worst thing was, there was nothing he could do. If he took flight, he would just be shot down. He lost track of how many bullets the other had fired, but the man either had a lot of guns on him, or was practically a walking magazine clip.

Kaitou, himself, was running out of sharpened and edged cards for his gun. Most were stuck in trees leading to the location they were at from his missed shots…others had bounced off of rocks and lay innocently on the ground farther down the mountain.

It wasn't like he could go back and get them.

When he peered out again, he caught a glimpse of black that moved to a tree closer to his location, and fired at it.

The card missed, and hit a tree somewhere behind it.

Of course, now Kaitou had to find a new hiding place since the fire had given his location away.

Two bullets rammed into the tree where he had fled from just a second after he moved.

He was running out of hiding places. Kaitou already lost track of the amount of time their game of tag had lasted. Sometimes, he had hidden behind a tree for what felt like eternity before he heard a rustle or was forced to move from gunfire.

Other times, he had to quickly zigzag through the forest to avoid being killed.

Sweat ran down his face as he skidded to a halt behind another tree. His breathing came out in pants, and he was sure that the man would be able to find him if the guy just listened for the sound of his heart beating with how it pounded in his chest.

This wasn't like facing down Snake.

This wasn't like going up against Jackal.

It wasn't even like being surrounded by men from Snake's organization.

The guy he was up against this time was those men put together and then some. Despite the guy's size, Kaitou had trouble sighting him. Despite the mass a man that build would have, he often didn't even hear the guy half the time when the Boss changed his position.

Kaitou looked out and scanned the forest.

And, the guy would either fire a single shot, or a bunch of shots. Either to hit him or make him move his position.

Cold sweat ran down Kaitou's neck. _This guy isn't like Snake. He isn't like the others of the Organization that chased after me almost a week ago. This guy is a professional killer. An assassin. And he's possibly just playing with me while he's hunting._

It wasn't a pleasant realization, but it seemed to ring true. The man had been luring him to the top of the cliff to get him to go to the area that didn't have any cover. Though, the Boss had made attempts to hit him before, as well.

Kaitou yelped, then moved as a bullet tore his pant leg. It missed the skin, but it still got him to leave the shelter of his latest hideout. _I do have a chance, though…I still have a couple cards left in the gun. With my back to the cliff, he'll know that I'll be cornered. Do I take the chance, though? Will he reveal himself before he kills me, or will he shoot me from the trees?_

Either way, it looked bad.

The decision was made for him when the next bullet grazed his left shin, which tripped him up. He tumbled for a bit, and when he looked up, he realized that he had been driven past the safety of the trees, out into the open.

Kaitou sighed, then stood up. "Alright…I guess the hunt ends here, doesn't it?"

There was barely even the sound of footsteps before the beady eyed Boss emerged from the trees, gun pointed at Kaitou.

Kaitou moved back a bit at the man's approach, circling a bit to try and keep himself from having his back to the cliff edge.

The man moved with him, then stopped when they were across from each other, both with one side facing the cliff drop-off.

"I'll admit…I didn't expect Kaitou Kid to be working with Akai and those agents that have surrounded the warehouse. I also didn't expect Kudou to still be alive…nor did I expect _teenagers_ to trap us."

Kaitou remained silent as the Boss spoke.

The man had an eerily cool voice that was about as warm as ice in the arctic. Though he wasn't very loud in tone, there was a hidden power that carried in his voice.

"Letting you see me was only a 'thank you' for this interesting chase. It's been a while since my prey has lasted this long."

Kaitou grinned, though he was out of tricks and he knew it. If this guy was like the other monsters, sleeping gas wouldn't work on him, and the range of his sleeping gasses would be dispersed quickly since they were outside, anyway. There was only once chance he had…

Still, he kept his poker face. "I'm honored to have given you such a satisfaction. The big Boss of a dangerous organization wasted his time to play with a thief like me…"

"Flattered, are you?"

"Very, actually!" Kaitou bowed in an exaggerated manner. "I've survived for so long against someone that is obviously an assassin."

There…the Boss seemed to relax for a split second.

Kaitou pulled his card gun from where he had stashed it in his suit, and started to pull back the trigger as he whipped it out at the Boss…

But apparently, the Boss had seen through it, and sent a bullet into the gun, which was blown apart.

Kaitou winced as some pieces cut into his right hand and others fell uselessly to the ground along with the remains of the gun.

"Nice try, Kaitou Kid. I know how magicians operate. Trying to distract me…"

"You lowered your guard on purpose to draw me in…" Kaitou smirked humorlessly as he held his right wrist in his left against the stinging of his right hand.

"Bingo. Now…I believe this chase has gone on long enough. It's time for you to die. So long, Kaitou Kid." The Boss's finger moved on the trigger.

Kaitou prepared himself to dodge, then realized that he wouldn't be able to move in time. There was a rock to his left, and the cliff was to his right. Even if he ducked, and even if he managed to clear the rock, the second bullet would hit him. He wore a bulletproof vest, but that wouldn't protect him against a headshot.

Just as he was about to curse his luck, and just as the finger over the trigger pulled it back, there was a rally shout, and another body collided with the Boss.

It took Kaitou a moment to realize what happened as the bullet went astray and missed by a wide margin.

It was Shinichi.

* * *

Shinichi didn't have any weapons on him when he had made it to the top of the cliff. He had lost the gun in the explosion on the lake, and his belt was mutilated beyond usage. There was nothing that he could kick with his normal shoes…and there hadn't even been a suitable rock if he had a pair of the power shoes.

When he got to the top and saw the gun pointed at Kaitou…all thought on how exactly he would capture the Boss had flown out the window. The only thought that ran through his head was to save the boy before he was hit.

The Boss was standing at the edge of the cliff.

There would be no turning back.

Shinichi was prepared as he shouted and threw himself at the Boss.

The gun went off, but hit nothing as the two flew over the edge.

The Boss looked shocked, then snarled and attempted to throw the boy off. They had gone over, but the cliff sloped, and if one of them got their hands free, they could grab on.

Shinichi knew that if he let go of the Boss, the man would escape. Or, climb back up and kill Kaitou. The gun had been dropped, but he didn't put it past the man to have at least a knife on him.

So, he held onto the Boss's lapels.

Even when the Boss swung at him and drove a fist into Shinichi's face, the teen held on.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Shinichi said over the howl of wind as they fell. "That when Holmes and Moriarty clashed for the final time, it was on a cliff by a waterfall. There's no waterfall here, but the situation is similar."

"Get off, you damn brat!" the Boss swung his fists out again.

But again, Shinichi held tight as they started to drift towards the cliff wall.

"After a struggle, both Holmes and Moriarty fell off the cliff. Both were declared dead. Fact of the matter is, Doyle had originally planned on both dying. But, he revived Holmes and wrote that the man was hiding away for three years before he returned to Watson."

"I don't care about Holmes, you…"

"This is similar. Except in this case…it's not a story. Doyle isn't here to revive anyone or change his mind about a character death. Falling from that height, even slowed when we bang up against the wall, will kill us. I'm not letting you go."

"You'll die…!"

"Yea. I will. I'm prepared for that."

The two hit the rock wall, and tumbled, limbs akimbo, before they once again hit a ledge and went over.

This time, the drop was steep below the ledge, and they wouldn't hit the rock wall again. That, and they were still a good seventy feet, at least, up in the air.

The Boss would have screamed if he hadn't hit his head against one of the rocks and been knocked out.

Shinichi's entire body hurt, though he couldn't tell exactly where, nor could he tell if anything was broken.

The teen smiled sadly. _Then again…it doesn't matter, does it?_

He was scared, at first. He knew this was the end. Even if the Boss hit first, he would still impact onto the rocky forest below…there were no trees below them to catch them.

Like the Boss had said, he would die.

After the fear came sorrow and regret.

Regret that he wouldn't be able to go back to Ran.

Despite everything that had happened, he wouldn't be able to tell her anything. He wouldn't be able to even tell her of his feelings.

And after the sorrow passed…he was flooded with the overwhelming calm that he first had when he so nonchalantly told the Boss that he knew that he would die. He was going to fall to his death, and he couldn't stop it. It was the end…

Thus, he was shocked when he felt something else a moment later that came in the form of a hand that gripped the back of his shirt.

Surprise…because they weren't falling as quickly, and had somehow glided over the rocky area below to the trees.

Shinichi blinked and looked over his shoulder in surprise. "Kuroba…?"

"You damn idiot!" Kaitou swore at the teen. "Give me a fucking heart attack, why don't you!? Are you _trying_ to kill yourself!?"

It was, indeed, Kaitou Kuroba that had caught him. With the extra weight, and the speed at which the Boss and Shinichi had already been falling, there was no doubt that their landing wouldn't be a pleasant one…that, and since Kaitou only had one hand to steer since he clutched Shinichi's jacket hard enough to turn knuckles white.

They hit the trees, first…Kaitou flinched, but didn't actually let go of his cargo until a tree branch managed to catch him across the face while others tore at his glider. He cried out in pain as he crashed into the trees, then tumbled to the ground after he released the glider lest he be stuck in the branches with it.

Shinichi felt the breath leave him as he hit the ground and skidded. It hurt, and he heard more than felt his left arm breaking, but besides being dazed, he was still alive.

After a moment, Shinichi coughed and sputtered as he drew in gasping breaths. There were dark spots in his vision, but he had to make sure the Boss wouldn't get away. Weakly, he let go of the lapels that he hadn't released until then, and reached into his pocket with his right hand, then pulled out a pair of handcuffs. Shakily, he rolled onto his side despite the pain, and managed to get the first one around the Boss's wrist, then pulled until he clasped the other one to the Boss's other wrist. Luck be to him, after the tumble, the Boss had landed on his front, so he was cuffed behind his back.

Then, Shinichi groaned and turned onto his back again and closed his eyes in pain.

He would have passed out if he didn't hear a rustle nearby that put his senses on alert. Though, he doubted he could have even moved to sit up if he wanted to at that point.

Shinichi relaxed when Kaitou stumbled through the underbrush.

The teen was minus the hat and monocle, as well as the white jacket he usually wore, and looked decidingly worse for the wear but still alive. The right side of his face was covered in blood from when he had been hit by the branch and the monocle shattered and cut into him above his eye (not in the eye, itself, Shinichi hoped). He also couldn't seem to stand on his right leg anymore as he all but collapsed on the ground.

After a moment of harsh breathing from the two teens, Kaitou spoke first.

"You still alive, Kudou?"

"Somehow…you?"

"Somehow……you pull a stunt like that, and I'll drag you back from the grave just to kill you for doing it."

Shinichi chuckled, then grimaced. "I wasn't thinking."

"Obviously."

Silence.

Then…

"Thanks, Kudou."

"For what? Friends help each other. You saved me in return."

"And, like I said…if you _ever_ do something like that again…"

"My ears are ringing, but I heard you the first time."

"Good. Just so we have that established."

The two fell silent as Kaitou leaned against a tree that they had fallen next to.

Then, Kaitou reached out with his left hand, despite the fact that it shook a bit, in a fist.

Shinichi stared at him for a moment before he grinned and moved his right arm up so that he tapped fists with the other, even though just that amount of movement took a great deal of effort from him.

The silent words of "we won" hovered in the air as the sound of a helicopter came to their ears.

A moment later, Kaitou was calling back up to the staff of the rescue copter.

And, soon afterwards, the two teens were safely on their way to the hospital via helicopter, while the Boss was taken in another copter.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	8. Chapter 8

The humerus is the bone in the upper arm.

The ulna and radius are the two bones in the lower arm.

The tibia is the larger bone in the lower leg, and the fibula is the smaller bone in the lower leg.

A 'grade three' injury to the knee is the worst 'grade' in describing a knee injury, and refers to how badly the ligaments were torn (though, with proper rehab, it is possible to recover from a grade three knee injury).

* * *

Chapter 8

"Interpol made most of the arrests…only one operative got by them and the Taskforce managed to capture him. I heard they also got that 'Snake' guy that was after ya. Kudou was dead-on about Bourbon. They caught him shortly after we left. Only two operatives died…Gin, and some other guy that shot himself before he was captured."

Kaitou nodded from where he lay on the hospital bed.

All three had separate rooms, and it was currently the day after they had initiated the fight. Heiji was the only one that could actually move around, though he technically wasn't supposed to be out of bed, either.

Loose ends were still being tied up by the FBI, CIA, and Interpol, but Heiji estimated that it wouldn't be long until his parents were contacted and they took the next flight into Tokyo.

Currently, he sat on a chair next to Kaitou's bed, dressed like his other two friends, in hospital garb. There was a bandage around his head, and the rest of his injuries were hidden by his cloths. The worst was three broken ribs from Vodka's point-blank bullet and the repaired bullet wound to his left thigh that was now wrapped and had him on crutches.

Kaitou's worst injury was his right leg from the knee down. He had made his previous injury worse, and now had a grade three sprained knee from torn ligaments, as well as a break in the fibula and a fracture to the tibia. Needless to say, he wouldn't be on his feet for quite some time.

He also had a bandage around his head that dipped down to cover his right eye, though the stitches were just above the eye from the cuts given to him by his monocle. He also had a couple bruised upper ribs, but he could deal with that better than his leg, which was currently elevated from the bed.

Shrapnel wounds…all three teens had those. Kaitou's right hand was bandaged, and they were sure Shinichi's left was.

"How's Kudou, by the way?" Kaitou questioned.

Heiji sighed. "Still unconscious. They're only lett'n family in…though, his father's been busy with Interpol, and his mother is still with Agasa-hakase and that tiny neechan in hiding till they sweep the professor's house and the Kudou place and make sure that it's all safe…so, no visitors."

"He was the worst off…I was worried for a moment…he passed out shortly after they got him on the gurney. Did you happen to hear of his injuries?"

Heiji nodded. "Yea. That, they told me, since I was involved in this entire mess. He's actually not that bad off, if one doesn't count that he almost split his head open sometime dure'n that tumble ya told me about."

It was a story that Kaitou would probably remember for the rest of his life…how Shinichi nearly took himself out with the Boss and the two went over the cliff. He hadn't heard what they talked about on the way down, but he had heard and seen the two hitting the cliff walls…the 'cracks' and other nasty sounding noises…

So, of course, he naturally told Heiji when the teen detective first poked his nose into his room that morning and found him awake with a frown on his face.

"That's prolly the worst of it. He's got a couple bruised ribs like you do. I guess he got most of his broken bones from that tumble. Fractured his left fibula, another fracture to the left humerus, both bones in his lower left arm broken, and of course nearly have'n his skull split open. That's just form the fall."

"Geez…"

"Yea. He also had some bullet graze'n to his top right shoulder. Then again, we all had some of that."

Kaitou chuckled and held up his right arm. It wasn't visible, but he had a bandage just above his elbow where he had been grazed by a bullet.

Heiji rolled his eyes, but continued, "And, like you, has his hand bandaged. Except it's his left hand and not his right. One of them blew out his belt early on. He's also got some bruising and scrapes to his back. Prolly from when he hit the bottom of the lake."

"So…it's mostly the head wound that's the worst…"

"Yea. But, they said there's no danger to his life. Despite the type of injury, they said he's lucky. There seems to be no damage to the brain. Course, they'll know for sure when he wakes up, but they're say'n he should still be the same Kudou we all know."

"All know to be a crazy bastard, you mean."

Heiji grinned. "Yea…but he'll say the same about me. And, probably you. After all, he bodily slammed the Boss off the cliff and, due to inertia, was forced to join him. _You_, on the other hand, was the one that _voluntarily_ jumped off the cliff."

"I had wings."

"And we all know how long_ they_ lasted…"

Kaitou gave him a dry look.

Heiji chuckled, then winced. "Ah…laugh'n is bad. Though, I'm glad you're just as suicidal as Kudou. He wouldn't be here if you hadn't done that."

"I wouldn't be here if he hadn't knocked the Boss aside."

"Alright, so you two are even, then."

Kaitou was silent a moment, then spoke in a quieter voice. "I thought I was dead. I thought _he_ was dead. For a moment…I thought none of us would walk out of this. Neither of us knew what happened to you, and we were facing down someone that can put 'pro assassin' on a job application. That guy…Kudou has guts to hit him directly. Call it 'animal instinct', but I couldn't get near him if I wanted to."

Heiji's smile dropped as he listened. He had only heard from Kaitou what happened up on the cliffs. Frankly, it scared him. Not just the stories of the Boss and his attitude, but at how close both of his friends had been to losing their lives. He had come out of the place with Shuuichi, and knew the guy was also in the hospital but would be fine…but the guy also had more training than they did.

None of them would forget what they went through anytime soon, if ever.

"A million thoughts ran through my mind when he destroyed my card gun. 'I'm dead', 'this is it', 'he's gonna kill me', 'nobody will know'…only Jii knew where I was, and just the general location. He visited before you did…told me about how he saved Kudou from the lake, how Kudou immediately ran off to find me after waking up…"

Heiji listened silently.

"I didn't know Kudou was on his way. I thought I was on my own. I thought I was as good as dead. He was _toying_ with me, Hattori. The entire chase, I thought _I_ was the one chasing _him_. But it was the other way around. _He_ was the one luring _me_ to the top of the cliff where there was no cover to hide behind. Either by him putting a bullet through my head or forcing me to fall off the cliff…he knew that outcome from the start."

Heiji resisted a shiver at those words. He remembered the feel of being hunted down in the lowest basement of the warehouse, but both he and Shinichi had known that they would be targeted by the sharpshooters of the Organization.

Kaitou, however, had gone after the Boss thinking he was just another member of the Organization that had managed to escape.

"It wasn't a game like Kid heists usually are," Kaitou continued, then took a shaky breath in and let it out. "It was real. I was being _hunted_, and I didn't even realize it until three-fourths of the way through."

"He won't be gett'n out of prison," Heiji spoke quietly. He didn't quite know what to say, but he knew he had to say _something_ to try and reassure his friend. He could tell, though Kaitou wouldn't admit it, that the other teen was still freaked out from it.

He heard from Shinichi, and Kaitou himself, that the goofy teen was a master of what was called 'poker face'. Hiding behind a constant mask. He actually thought that Shinichi did a good job of that, too, though the guy didn't do it on purpose most of the time like Kaitou did.

Heiji would probably be telling the same information to Shinichi once the teen woke up, too. "He and the rest of those bastards are go'n straight to the highest security prison in the world, and they ain't ever gonna get out. There's enough evidence against them, even from the first stages of investigation, to put them behind bars for life. Even the best lawyer wouldn't be able to negotiate a lesser sentence."

Kaitou was silent a moment, then let out a sigh as he closed his eyes.

Heiji waited silently, something he usually wasn't very good at, as he sat on the chair.

Finally, Kaitou opened his eyes and managed a weak smile. "We really did it, then. We really won…"

The teen from Osaka smiled back. "Yea. We won."

It felt more definite when it was actually said aloud.

They had won.

The door opened just then, and a slightly annoyed nurse stood there. She looked around only briefly before her expression darkened when her gaze landed on Heiji. Her foot began to tap in annoyance.

Heiji gulped and had one of those comical 'oh, shit' expressions when he saw her.

Kaitou watched on in amusement.

"Hattori-kun!!" the nurse gritted out. "How many times have I told you to _stay in bed_!? You have three broken ribs! _Three_! And a recently stitched up bullet wound to your leg! And, for the love of…where did you get those crutches? I thought I hid them well for sure this time!"

Despite his stammering, Heiji managed to sputter out, "I'm a detective! I found them!"

The nurse slapped her hand to her forehead, then stepped aside and pointed in a gesture for him to leave. "Back to bed. _Now_! And you're going to get quite a lecture for leaving your room again, young man! Honestly…!"

Though Heiji was made to feel like a naughty child, it was actually reassuring to hear Kaitou's laughter in the background as he stumbled to comply with the scary nurse.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon at Beika Hospital soon became "parents' day". The three teens had been brave, but they were still minors. And thus, when parents got wind of where they were, they freaked out a bit.

Yukiko finally managed to get to the hospital when her husband gave her the 'all clear' that the house was fine. She was a nice contrast to Yusaku's silent concern over their son. She came with both Agasa and Haibara…Agasa, who panicked in his own way while Haibara was shell shocked.

Shizuka Hattori flew in the second she got the news that her son was in the hospital…and, brought her husband, Heizo. It was like a mirror of the Kudou family…the mother being frantic while the father watched on in silent worry.

Then, there was Kaitou's mother, who came in with Jii. She had been just as harried, but thankfully, didn't bring Aoko with her.

The doctors actually threatened to throw the group out of the hospital if they didn't quiet down…especially when Heiji got in an argument with his father over what he did and his mother over being too dramatic. One could hear the shouts of 'ahou' throughout the corridor.

The ones that worried the most were the ones there for Shinichi, since he had yet to regain consciousness. He wasn't in a coma, but since he _did_ sustain a head injury, they wouldn't have completely knowledge of the extent of the damage until he woke up.

Yukiko frowned as she held her son's hand lightly. She didn't want to touch the bandaging job on his head, so the only option was his hand. And since his left was also bandaged and in a sling, that left his right.

She looked up when the door opened.

"How's he doing? Any change?" Yusaku asked as he closed the door to the room behind him.

Yukiko shook her head. "The monitors show that he's in stable condition, but he hasn't woken up."

Yusaku sighed and walked over to gaze down at his son.

"Shouldn't we tell Ran-chan? I think she'd want to know he's in the hospital…"

"I doubt Shinichi would want Ran to see him like this," Yusaku replied.

"We can't _not_ tell her…"

"Only if she asks, I suppose. Can you imagine how shocked she would be? She can finally see him again, and he's unconscious in a hospital. That's a bit much."

Yukiko sighed and gazed down at Shinichi. "Yea…I suppose so…" tears rolled down her cheeks, and she let go of Shinichi with one hand to wipe them away.

"Yukiko?"

"Something happened…but nobody will tell me. How he got this injured…he came back to us, but…nobody will say a word. Do you know what happened, Yu-chan?"

To her surprise, Yusaku shook his head 'no'. "I got a call from the Kuroba boy's assistant, Jii-san. He just requested back-up and a medical squad to come in via helicopter due to the area. All he said was that both Kaitou-kun and Shinichi went after the Boss. He knows nothing of the details afterwards, if he's telling the truth."

"Perhaps I should ask Kaitou-kun…I can't ask Shin-chan…"

"Maybe you should. It might do him good to talk to someone…he won't with his own mother. That boy is too much like Shinichi."

"Eh?"

"You were an apprentice under his father…there aren't many people he can really share memories about the man with."

Yukiko had stopped asking her husband how he got his information long ago. "Didn't you ask the other boys, yourself?"

"Before their parents came, yes."

"And they didn't tell you?"

"Heiji-kun seems to know what happened, by his body language when I asked, but refuses to speak of it. All he'll say about whatever he heard from Kaitou-kun is 'not my story to tell'.'

"And Kaitou-kun?"

"He gets a closed expression and stops talking. It's a sure sign that whatever happened frightened him greatly, but he won't say a word. Not even to the investigators that asked about the Boss's injuries and how they caught him. He won't say a thing."

Yukiko frowned. "Surely he's told his mother or that old man helping him…?"

Yusaku shook his head. "No."

"So, the only one he's told is Heiji-kun, and he's keeping mum about it…"

"At this point, I'm more worried for the mental health of Kaitou-kun than the investigation. If he keeps something so frightening that it causes him to detach himself from the rest of the world bottled up…he's headed down the road to psychological damage."

Yukiko frowned.

"Go on…his mother is with Heiji-kun's parents and Jii-san right now, out of the rooms of the teens to let them rest. You'll do more good to Kaitou-kun than here right now. If Shinichi wakes up, I'll come get you."

Yukiko hesitated, then nodded. "Alright." She gave Shinichi's hand another squeeze, then left the room.

Yusaku sighed and sat down in his wife's vacated chair. _I hope that you can trust in us, or at least one of your friends, to talk about what happened when you wake up, Shinichi. Then again, knowing you, we'll have to pry it out of your stubborn mouth._

* * *

Kaitou was asleep when Yukiko walked in, but that didn't deter her. Rather, she just pulled over the chair that his mother had occupied earlier and sat down.

Looking at him, she was shocked at the similarities that the boy had to Shinichi. Though, Kaitou was a little more solidly built while Shinichi was more on the lean side…but it was hardly noticeable since it was only a slight fraction of a difference. They appeared to be the same height…she wasn't going to estimate weight since the experience of being shrunk probably messed a little with her son's own weight. Even their hair was similar…except that, while Kaitou's was more unruly, Shinichi's was almost always neatly combed.

Both boys also, apparently, had a habit of putting up a mask and hiding their own feelings deep within themselves. If Yukiko didn't know better, she'd think the two to be cousins, if not twins.

She wasn't so deep in thought that she didn't notice the way Kaitou's left hand suddenly gripped the sheet that covered him, and the sheen of sweat that beaded the side of his forehead that wasn't covered by the bandage around his head. His breathing started to come out a little harder, and his visible eyebrow had knitted as if he was in pain.

Yukiko was just about ready to get a nurse, when she realized that it was probably a nightmare. Gently, she placed a hand over Kaitou's clenched on. "Kaitou-kun?"

As if in response, Kaitou's eyes shot open. For a moment, he seemed to not know exactly where he was, as there was a sheer panic that was displayed on his face and fear in his eyes.

Then, when he got his bearings, he relaxed a bit and closed his eyes again.

Yukiko watched in morbid fascination as he seemed to realize that someone else was in the room, and the slightly tense and pained look on his face all but vanished to be replaced with an indifferent mask.

Kaitou turned and smiled weakly at her. "You're…Kudou's mother, right?"

"Yukiko." The woman nodded in confirmation.

"He wake up, yet?"

"No…he's still sleeping."

"Oh."

"Speaking of sleeping…you seemed to be having a rough time just now. Are you alright?" Yukiko eyed him critically.

"Yea…just a wacky dream…" Kaitou cursed whatever medication he was on that was making it difficult for him to keep his brave face up. _I was just recalling how I was being played with and hunted like an animal…_

Yukiko smiled softly, then tapped his right hand. "Now, now, young man…I might not be a detective like my husband and son, but I _am_ a mother. I know when a young one is lying to me."

Kaitou just grinned sheepishly, and slowly unclenched his hand from where he still held the sheet in a death grip.

"If you don't talk about it, it will haunt you the rest of your life. Even so, I won't force you to speak of it. I just ask that you tell _someone_ about it," Yukiko said.

Kaitou's grin dropped, and he looked away from her. _Yep, definitely Kudou's mother. Able to strip down my layers like that…_ "…I talked to Hattori a bit."

"Alright. I'll accept that for now."

"Now, I have a question for you…"

"Yes?"

"Why are you in here with me instead of in Kudou's room? I mean, he's _your_ son…I'm not…"

Yukiko smiled. "I'm worried about Shin-chan, and that's the truth. But, Yusaku is with him, now…besides, I'm not the one that will ultimately be able to help him when he wakes up."

Kaitou shot her a quizzical look.

Yukiko nearly giggled at his expression. _That's right…we were out of his life, with only an occasional appearance now and then, for the past three, almost four, years. But, there was a girl that was there the entire time…_

"Ya didn't answer my question, you know," Kaitou told the woman dryly.

Yukiko laughed. "I suppose not. Alright…it was Yusaku's idea. I quite agree with him…we figured you might enjoy being able to talk about Toichi."

Kaitou's eyes widened. "Tousan?"

Yukiko nodded. "I studied under him about ten years ago, learning about disguises to better my acting career."

"He didn't deserve to die."

"But, you helped catch the ones responsible."

"Yea…it's a weird feeling. When I first picked up the mantle and hat, I didn't know what to expect. As I got more and more involved, months passed and I had only found a couple men. And, not completely, at that…"

He didn't know why he was talking.

Again, he blamed the medication.

"Kaasan is happy about it, too. We all knew…there was no way his death was an accident. He was too good of a magician for that…"

"Yes…I quite enjoyed watching him perform his tricks. He was extremely talented with what he did, your father."

Kaitou smiled softly.

Yukiko giggled. "Though, I think Yusaku agrees…he certainly had fun chasing the first Kaitou Kid around."

It took Kaitou's slightly fogged brain to compute that. "Eh!? You mean, Kudou's father always tried to catch my father when they were younger?!"

"Not too young…I believe Shin-chan was in preschool and grade school during that time. But, yes."

"Did…he know? Your husband. About tousan's identity…"

"Probably. He didn't tell me anything until recently, but I have very little doubts that Yusaku knew exactly who he was chasing."

Kaitou chuckled. "That's a relief for me, then! It means Kudou won't be likely to get me arrested when I start up again!"

Yukiko muffled her own laughter. "Don't let any of the police hear you say that! Besides, it's difficult to say…Yusaku never actually _caught_ your father."

Kaitou beamed. "Even Kudou's father couldn't catch him? I knew it! That's cause tousan was awesome!"

Yukiko smiled at the teen's enthusiasm as the conversation continued. They might not have talked about one of the things she wanted to hear about, but at least this boy, that was so much like Shinichi, was smiling and talking animatedly despite what he went through.

She chuckled at how animated the teen got as they talked about the man. _I'm sure he's proud of you, too. _

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	9. Chapter 9

A nasal canella is that small tube that is hooked up to an oxygen machine that functions in a similar way to a respirator mask, except it only goes in the nose rather than cover the entire lower face.

Japanese:

"Oyaji" – Means "father"; it's a very 'rough' and informal way of saying it

"Okaa" – Short for "okaasan", which means "mother/mom" (it's what Heiji calls his mother)

* * *

Chapter 9

White ceiling.

Beeping off to the side.

White walls…wait, there was a nightstand over there with some flowers in a vase on it.

Were those cards on the stand, too?

Shinichi blinked in slight confusion. _Let's see…an IV feed, too…I'm in a hospital, then. How did I get here this time?_

There was a slight throb at the right side of his head, and his left arm was immobile…

His left leg felt heavy, too, under the covers.

Shinichi felt like he had been underwater for quite some time. And, as if he was still underwater. Or, maybe in a dream.

Well, the aches and slight pains threw the 'dream' possibility right out the window.

Shinichi mentally went through what was hooked up to him besides the IV feed. _A heart monitor…that's what I feel on my chest…they must have receptors hooked up…the uncomfortable tube in my nose is a nasal canella. No wonder my mouth is dry…I think there's something hooked up to my skull, too…more wires? Brainwave activity, maybe…?_

It took him another moment before he realized that he wasn't alone in the room. For the life of him, he couldn't remember how he had gotten to a hospital, and what had happened. But, he did recognize the woman that was asleep, slumped over his bed.

A strange feeling of déjà vu hit him. He had stared at a similar scene when he was Conan…except then, it was Ran, and he was about three feet tall.

Right…he wasn't Conan anymore.

Suddenly, the fog in his mind cleared, and he remembered what had happened.

The Kid heist that led to the Apotoxin, the call from Akai, the antidote, teaming up with Heiji and Kaitou to take down the Black Organization…chasing the Boss…

Shinichi started to sit up, then thought better of it when pain seared through his back. He hadn't even attempted to move his left arm, and found it in a sling and bound in bandages from his shoulder to his wrist.

The teen stared at his bound arm, the thought wryly, _I bet that's the source of the many cracks I heard on the way down the cliff. I'd bet my reputation as a detective that my left leg is busted, too. That's probably a cast that's weighing it down._

"Shin-chan?"

Shinichi looked over and smiled weakly at the woman, his mother, that stared at him as if she saw a ghost.

Yukiko had tears in her eyes, and seemed to be refraining herself from leaping at him to hug him. "You're awake!"

"K-kaasan…" Shinichi started, then coughed a couple of times.

"Here…" Yukiko helped him drink some water left in a pitcher on the nightstand for when he woke up.

"Are the others alright?" Shinichi didn't recall much of what happened after he handcuffed the Boss at the bottom of the cliff. He presumed that Kaitou was still alive and breathing…but couldn't be sure. That, and he didn't know what happened to Heiji.

"They're fine…at least, their injuries aren't nearly as bad as yours. You broke all the bones in your arm, Shin-chan!" Yukiko wiped her eyes.

"That would explain the bandage…I take it they have me on pain medication…"

Yukiko sniffled and nodded. _He's talking…he's looking at me…he remembers what happened……it's just like they said. He'll be fine. There was no damage…_

Shinichi was surprised when his mother suddenly burst into tears. "H-hey…?!"

"You had a head injury…they said there was no apparent damage to your brain, but they wouldn't know for sure until you woke up. You've been sleeping for three days, Shin-chan!"

Shinichi's expression softened. "Sorry."

"Don't……I'm just glad you came back to us!" Yukiko suddenly stood up after she said that. "I'll get the doctor! Tell them you're awake…don't fall back asleep yet, Shin-chan!"

Shinichi opened his mouth to say something, but she was already out the door. He had a million and a half questions. Did they really win? Did they get all of them? Was Bourbon arrested? How bad off were his friends?

Does Ran know?

Shinichi nearly started at his own train of thoughts. Then, he mentally shook his head at that question. _No…she wouldn't know. Nobody knows I called her the day before we went after them. And, if tousan was here at all, he probably talked kaasan out of saying anything to Ran. She'll find out, though…I bet she goes to Agasa-hakase within the next day or so to ask if I'd come back yet._

Or, if she happened to see his parents walking around. Ran wasn't a detective, but she would know something was up between his phone call and then his parents moving back into their house shortly afterwards.

He wasn't aware of the fact that he was drifting back to sleep until the door opened again.

It wasn't the doctor, though.

Shinichi found a smile form on his face as he looked at the other teen that stood there.

Heiji was dressed in hospital garb, and was on crutches, but otherwise seemed fine. He even had a big grin on his face as he closed the door behind him and limped over to Yukiko's vacated chair.

"Hey, Hattori," Shinichi greeted his friend.

"Hey, yourself. Not look'n too bad if we ignore those things hooked upta ya. I heard yer mother run'n down the hall, cheering that you were awake. Thought I'd sneak out and come see ya."

"Appreciated…how about your own wounds?"

Heiji waved his hand. "Barely worth mention'n. Couple broken ribs and that bullet to my leg were the worst. Since there seemta be no complications, they said I could leave in two days."

"Your parents know, yet?"

"Oh, yea. I'm surprise we didn't wake ya with our argue'n. That, and our parents all nearly got themselves thrown outta the hospital fer be'n loud."

Shinichi chuckled. "Why am I not surprised…?"

"Seems like your folks are putt'n mine up at their house. Oyaji can't stay, of course, since he's still got work…but, okaa has taken up the offer."

"I'm actually relieved to hear that…I can't imagine what sort of plots our fathers would cook up when put in the same room together. Let alone the same _house_."

Heiji laughed. "True, true!"

"How's Kuroba? Kaasan just said 'fine' for everyone."

"He'll be here a bit longer'n me…and, he's confined ta a wheelchair cause they want him to keep his leg straight. Me, I just hafta stay off mine. He totally messed up his right leg. Tore his knee worse, and broke both bones in his lower leg. He got lucky bout his right eye…plenty of damage ta the area around it, but noth'n to his actual eye."

"Ouch…"

"Speak'n of 'ouch', you ain't in pain?"

Shinichi quirked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? I know they have me on medication, and whatever it is they have me on is in such a high dosage that I'm surprised I'm _lucid_."

Again, Heiji laughed.

"We got them?" that question was softer.

Heiji's laughter stopped, but the smile remained. "Yea. We got them. Bourbon ran inta the trap we set, just as you predicted. One operative managed ta get past Interpol, but Nakamori-keibu caught 'em. Speak'n of the police…"

Shinichi blinked in confusion.

Heiji picked on one card that sat on Shinichi's nightstand, then put it back down with a grin on his face. "Apparently, one Megure-keibu was really ticked off that you went and did all this without tell'n him."

"Does he know…?"

"About Conan? Nope. We haven't said a word 'bout it. Hell, Kuroba won't even tell anyone else about what happened up at the cliffs."

Shinichi frowned. "I suppose I can understand why…from what I picked up on my way to the top, he was…"

"…be'n hunted, is what you're gonna say, right? Yea. He hasn't even told the investigators bout it. Just the basics…that some total _ahou_ came fly'n out of the forest and nearly got himself killed."

Shinichi grinned innocently.

Heiji sighed. "Then again, I woulda done the same thing, so I can't really condone it."

"Kuroba said something similar. Though, he also said that if I did it again, he'd find a way to bring me back to life just to kill me for doing it."

Heiji laughed. "That sounds like him, alright."

"Speaking of, does anyone know he's Kid? I don't remember much after I cuffed the Boss, but I think he was still wearing his Kid outfit…"

"Well, since they picked him up when he was wear'n just the outer shirt and pants, they didn't make any connections. Your father prolly kept anyth'n else hush-hush."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"We really did it…"

Heiji nodded at his friend's statement. "Yea. Kuroba had a hard time believe'n it, too. Hell, even I did."

"It feels like it's been years…I…"

"I know. Ya dun hafta say anyth'n."

Shinichi smiled, but it was a relaxed smile. He knew he would have to face Ran about it, but for now, he relished in the fact that it was over.

Just then, the door opened, and Yukiko and a doctor stepped through.

"Oh! Heiji-kun!" Yukiko smiled at the other boy. "How are you feeling?"

"Better, thanks." Heiji grinned.

It was obvious to Shinichi that the teen still felt some pain, probably from his healing ribs, but said nothing on it.

The doctor, however, sighed. "You're supposed to use a wheelchair due to your ribs, Hattori-kun. Where did you get the crutches _this_ time?"

Heiji scratched his head sheepishly. "I…uh…_might_ have hidden a pair under the bed the last time the nurse threatened ta burn 'em…"

Shinichi stared incredulously…but at the same time, found it something that was completely like his friend.

"Speaking of your favorite nurse…I believe she's scouring the halls for you once again. I recall her muttering something about strapping you to the bed…" the doctor raised an eyebrow at the teen.

Heiji paled. "Really? She was _serious_? I thought she was kidd'n about those restraints!"

Shinichi couldn't help it, and started to laugh.

Heiji threw his friend a dirty look. "This is your fault, Kudou! I snuck out ta see ya since you were finally awake!"

"Yea, but it sounds like this isn't the first, or even the second, time you've snuck out of your room." Shinichi snickered.

Heiji scowled at him, but stood up carefully and took his crutches. "See ya around, then, Kudou. I gotta get back before that scary nurse finds me outta my room…"

When he limped out, Heiji wondered idly if he was some sort of comic relief, since now his other friend was laughing the same way that Kaitou had been two and a half days ago.

* * *

Shinichi grinned at the two teens across from him. He still didn't dare to sit up without assistance, and was still hooked up to the IV lines, but at least the monitoring equipment was taken off. It still sat in the room just in case of an emergency, but since he was able to breathe on his own and his brainwaves and heart-rate were normal, they deemed it safe to disconnect the machines hooked up to him by the next morning.

Heiji grunted at Shinichi's grin. "What?!"

"We just figure that you didn't sneak out this time," Kaitou chirped as he sat on a wheelchair in front of the bed. His right leg was extended and in a cast from the knee down, and the amount of bandages on his face had lessened. With assistance, he was allowed to be around in a wheelchair.

The parents had decided to let the three teens sit together in the same room since they technically couldn't visit each other (though, Heiji had broken that rule more than once).

"So, the scary nurse won't be after you again!" Shinichi grinned at the Osakan detective.

Heiji snorted and propped his elbow up on the armrest of the wheelchair he was in, then rested his chin in his hand. "Leave me alone bout that scary neechan…I _swear_ she has me bugged or some'n…"

Shinichi and Kaitou exchanged an amused look, then laughed.

"Alright, alright…" Heiji interrupted after a few seconds of laughter. "Ya got yer laughter outta me."

"Speaking of you, I hear you're set to be released from the hospital the day after tomorrow…you going back to Osaka?" Kaitou glanced at Heiji.

"You kidd'n? You two are still in the hospital…" Heiji looked away sheepishly.

"Aww…we love you, too!" Kaitou laughed.

"I'm gonna hurt you…" Heiji's eye twitched.

Shinichi snickered. "Please don't…I'd rather not have to declare my friend a murderer."

The other two teens chuckled at that one.

"Thanks, though…" Shinichi said to Heiji.

Heiji waved it off, especially when Kaitou agreed with Shinichi's sentiments. "Your folks have offered ta put me up with okaa till things settle. Hope ya don't mind, Kudou."

"My room is off-limits, just so you know," Shinichi said with a half-moon glare to his friend.

Heiji held up his hands in a placating gesture, then turned to Kaitou. "What about you? They won't keep ya in here for long, either…"

"Three days after you is when I'm scheduled for release. They're afraid I'll mess up my knee worse than it is if I'm released sooner. Though, I think Kudou will be here for a while."

"A couple weeks, probably…" Shinichi sighed in defeat. "They want to make sure I have no lasting damage to my brain…then there's my arm…"

"Yea…the one you totally wrecked…" Heiji glanced at the arm the teen had in a sling.

"Couldn't help it…"

Kaitou grinned. "Ya know…this feels oddly refreshing."

"Eh?" came the response from the other two.

"Just talking like normal kids our age. It's almost weird. Surreal. Like none of it happened…" he grimaced in pain a moment, then added, "…well, _almost_…"

"Oh…" the other two agreed.

Then, the magician laughed. "I just stumped the two great detectives! I deserve a hand!"

"You'll have to use Hattori's, because my left isn't moving anytime soon."

"You kidd'n? Kazuha would kill him." Heiji snickered.

"Speaking of, I'm surprised I haven't heard you two screaming at each other yet. You somehow get her to stay in Osaka?" Shinichi raised an eyebrow.

"For the weekdays, she had school…"

"What about yesterday?" Kaitou inquired.

Heiji shifted in his chair. "Erm…well…she doesn't have anywhere to stay, since neechan doesn't even know about Kudou yet, and…"

Shinichi gave him a flat look. "You didn't call her."

Heiji flushed. "Why should I!? We're alive, the bad guys are down, and on Monday, I can trade these nasty pajamas for my street cloths!"

"She's seen you in a hospital, before…" Shinichi pointed out.

Heiji crossed his arms. "That's different. She was usually nearby somewhere…"

Kaitou snickered. "I think I see what's going on…you don't want your _girlfriend_ to see you pathetically running away from that nurse and being confined to a wheelchair!"

Heiji, whose face had only been slightly red, suddenly resembled a tomato. "And what about you, Kuroba!? Didn't _you_ mention about some girl?"

"It's not like I can tell her! She doesn't even know I'm Kid! How am I supposed to explain being in the hospital to her?"

Shinichi just laughed.

"What?!" the other two exclaimed, red-faced.

"Didn't we have a conversation similar to this over a week ago?" Shinichi grinned at them.

The two glared at him.

Shinichi just gave them an innocent look that was so reminiscent of Conan that the other two shuddered.

"Please…for the love of everything right in the world…don't _ever_ look at me like that again…" Kaitou shivered.

"Yea, really…" Heiji grunted. "I think I just got goosebumps."

"Huh?" Shinichi blinked.

"You…have no idea?" Heiji's jaw dropped.

"Of what?"

"You just pulled a 'cute little kid' expression just now!" Heiji exclaimed.

Shinichi would have scratched his head if he had the energy to move his hand that far. Still, his puzzled expression said it all.

"You pulled a 'Conan' on us, Kudou," Kaitou explained. "You aren't in a seven year old body anymore…it's just _creepy_ when you do that, now."

Shinichi frowned slightly. "I really did that?"

"Yep." Heiji nodded, then blinked. "You honestly didn't know? You ain't play'n with us?"

"No…I didn't realize…" Shinichi had an odd expression on his face, as if he was somewhat lost.

"Probably a habit. I mean, you were stuck like that for over half a year. It'll take some time to remember that's no longer your identity," Kaitou explained when he noticed the expression.

Shinichi was silent. Some of the lost look was gone, but now, there was a contemplative frown on his face. _What if I can't throw the habit? What if I get it mixed up? The first time I came back for 24 hours, I accidentally greeted the other kids, and called Ran 'Ran-neechan', of all things. How much of 'Conan' has become 'Shinichi', now? What if I can't separate them?_

Heiji and Kaitou exchanged concerned frowns.

"Kudou?" Heiji ventured.

Shinichi looked over at Kaitou, instead. "Have you ever mixed up your identities? Acted as 'Kuroba' while being 'Kid', or acted as 'Kid' while being 'Kuroba'?"

Kaitou leaned back to think about that one. "Not directly. But, there were a couple incidents. Like after one heist, I was reading the paper in class, and saw something that shouldn't have bothered me as 'Kaitou', but bothered me as 'Kid'…and made a bit of a fuss in the middle of math."

"I'm sure your teacher loved that…" Heiji attempted some humor into the conversation.

Kaitou grinned. "The teacher doesn't really care anymore…embarrassed Aoko, apparently. I had to do some quick thinking to cover up my outburst."

Shinichi stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.

Kaitou smiled. "Don't worry about it. You're separate people, but you're the same person. Part of you will always be 'Conan' even if you throw the rest away. It's just an identity…a shadow. It's you, but it's not. You're not Conan right now, or anymore. Just like how I'm not Kid right now. Who knows…maybe you've always been throwing around those innocent expressions. We wouldn't know, since both of us met you when you were just Conan."

"I suppose…that makes sense…" Shinichi mused.

Heiji grinned. "I doubt you're going to go 'a-re-re' at a crime scene anymore."

Shinichi threw him a glare.

"See?" Heiji chuckled. "Even as Conan, you were still Kudou. That's what I called you, right?"

"Enough times that I'm surprised nobody realized it, yes."

Kaitou snickered at Shinichi's deadpan expression during that. "So, relax, then. You'll get back into the kick of things. After all…"

The two watched as he flicked his wrist, and made a small-stemmed rose appear in his hand.

Kaitou then added it to the vase on the nightstand next to him. "…you're not alone."

Shinichi stared at the vase full of flowers, and now the new rose that joined the addition to the previous ones there. Then, he chuckled.

Kaitou beamed when he saw the smile.

Heiji was glad, too, but rounded on Kaitou. "How the hell do you do that?"

"Huh?"

"The rose come'n outta nowhere thing!"

"It's a magic trick. I thought a detective that can state how some of the most complex of magic tricks and criminal tricks work can tell how I managed to do that," Kaitou drawled out.

Heiji flushed.

"Oh, so you learned the big tricks but not the small ones?" Kaitou grinned. _Hattori is a lot more fun to tease than Kudou. He has better reactions._

"What?! No way…I just don't know that one! Come on…tell me!"

Kaitou pretended to consider it, then held up his right hand, which was now sans the bandage. He curled his hand into a fist so his index finger stuck upright…

…Heiji leaned in as if he was about to hear some big secret…

…and Kaitou grinned and held up his index finger to his lips. "Tis a secret!"

Heiji nearly fell out of his wheelchair.

Honestly, one walking by the room wouldn't be able to tell which was the loudest sound in that room…Shinichi's laughter, Heiji's indignant shouts, or Kaitou's amused protests as to why it would be a bad idea for the Osakan detective to kill him.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


	10. Chapter 10

Final chapter, with Shinichi and Ran goodness. Thank you to everyone that's come this far with the story...yes, even my phantom readers. ;p

I might write a couple follow-up one-shots to cover how they're all handling their lives after such a big event, and, of course, the much written about "Shinichi reveals the truth of Conan to Ran".

But, I felt that it just wasn't appropriate to include any of those in this story (that, and the ideas are only half formed).

* * *

Chapter 10

Just as Shinichi had predicted, it didn't take Ran long to find out he was in the hospital. When she got concerned that he hadn't called again in almost a week since he last called saying that his case was coming to a close, she rushed to Agasa's. The old man, of course, almost was able to cover it if Ran hadn't noticed Shinichi's parents were back.

Add another red flag.

So, by Sunday afternoon, she was on her way to Beika Hospital.

She didn't really know what to expect…nobody told her much of anything, though Yukiko had implored her to "please not perform any karate on him…he just woke up yesterday".

That honestly scared Ran. If he called on Monday…what had he done and how long had he been unconscious?

She swore she passed Heiji on her way up, about to exit one of the rooms, but the door quickly closed after she caught sight of the dark-skinned face and surprised teal eyes.

At this point, Ran wouldn't be surprised if it _was_ him. But, she was more interested in the one she had only seen a couple times in the past half a year.

Though, when she finally got to the door that was labeled with the tag of 'Kudou Shinichi', she just stood outside, unable to enter.

What if it was bad? What if he was hooked up to a bunch of equipment?

What if he lied about how he got there?

Didn't he promise her an explanation?

That was right…he promised her an explanation.

But…how hurt was he? What were his injuries? How long would he stay in the hospital?

The questions kept on building.

What would she say to him when she saw him?

Ran didn't know.

She was so deep in thought that she nearly jumped a couple feet in the air when a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Aha! I thought it was you, neechan!"

Ran spun around and blinked. "Hattori-kun…?"

The teen was on a pair of crutches, his left leg favored, grin on his face. "Yo!"

"What are you…? Are you alright?" Ran blinked.

"Noth'n too big of a deal. I'll be outta here soon enough. I wasn't gonna say anything, but then I figured you would prolly get the jitters." What he said was the truth. He was worried that Ran would be too worried or get scared and leave without seeing the other teen.

So, he got out the other pair of crutches that he hid in the room, and snuck out to encourage her.

He didn't leave to call Kazuha. Nope. Just to encourage Ran. Ran being there did not give him an excuse to sneak out of his room to call Kazuha.

"He's…really back…?" Ran stared at the name on the door.

"Yep. In one piece, I might add."

"What happened? Why are you here, in a hospital, in Tokyo? Does it have to do with Shinichi?"

Heiji sighed. "Sorta. Well, yea. It does. I'll leave the explain'n for him to do, though. I only know half the story first hand, anyway." _That way, you hafta go in._

"Is…is he really hurt…?"

Heiji averted his gaze. "If he wasn't, he wouldn't be in the hospital. But, it's not as bad as it might look. It ain't as bad as the docs first thought, either."

Ran was silent.

Heiji forced a smile and a laugh. "And, hey…last I saw, he wasn't doped up on pain medication, so you two can actually talk to each other! It ain't like there are wires hooked upta him…" _…not anymore, at least…_

Ran didn't respond. She didn't know exactly how to. "Do your parents know? I take it Shinichi's parents at least know he's here…what about Kazuha-chan?"

"My folks know…okaa is board'n with Kudou's folks. So, yea, they know. Kudou's father helped us out. Kazuha…I haven't called her, yet…"

"You should. She's probably worried…"

Heiji looked at the ground guiltily. "Well…"

Before he could answer, there was an angry shout that seemed to echo down the entire hallway.

"HATTORI HEIJI!"  
Ran glanced curiously at the teen, since she didn't recognize the voice.

Heiji had paled, eyes wide and slightly scared.

"Who…?"

Ran's question was answered a moment later as a very angry looking nurse stormed into view and grabbed Heiji by the ear.

"Ow, ow, ow…!" Heiji complained.

"_Why_ are you always leaving your room! Do you not feel pain! _Three broken ribs_, Hattori-kun! Maybe I should talk the doctors into making you stay longer for all the times you've escaped!"

Heiji looked positively terrified.

Ran was astonished…and holding back her laughter.

"_Ah_! You got _another_ pair of crutches! Where did you hide _this_ pair? No, wait I don't want to know. I'm confiscating this pair as well as soon as we get back to your room. Do you not understand that all you have to do if you want to go somewhere now is ask for assistance!"

"I ain't an invalid, though!" Heiji protested. "I can walk! Sorta…"

"You're on 'absolute rest'! What part of that don't you understand! Isn't there anyone that can control you! I _was_ joking earlier, but I _might_ just request to have those restraints put on you! If nothing else then to get you to rest and stop sneaking out of your room!"

Heiji whimpered slightly.

"Now…back to your room! If you want to go somewhere, I'll escort you there in the wheelchair!"

Ran actually giggled. "You're famous in this hospital already, Hattori-kun."

The nurse sighed and smiled at the girl. "Famous for sneaking out of his room. He's been doing it since the day after he arrived!"

"Well, if you need someone to keep him in line…" Ran started to grin, all worries forgotten.

Heiji paled. _This is my thanks for gett'n her to chill out? Then again…would it be that bad if Kazuha came? No, no…_

"He has a friend in Osaka…they were childhood friends, so he should know her number. She'd probably rush over to see him…"

Heiji gave her a look that screamed "why".

Ran just crossed her arms and addressed the teen detective directly. "Because Kazuha-chan is probably worried sick about you! Shinichi called me last Monday, and I haven't heard from him since! Then, when I go looking, I find he's in the hospital!"

Heiji frowned guiltily.

Ran softened, then smiled at him. "Go call her. You don't have to tell her where you are…just tell her you're alright. It probably won't be enough…you should tell her everything, but…as long as she hears from you that you're alright."

"Y-yea…" Heiji stammered. "I…should do that…"

Ran nodded. "And…thank you, Hattori-kun."

Before Heiji could question her on it or respond, the girl opened the door to Shinichi's room, stepped in, and closed it behind her.

Silence.

Then, the nurse turned to the teen. "I'll bring you to one of the phones in the lobby that you can use. Let's go fetch the wheelchair, first. You _do_ have broken ribs, after all."

"Alright…" Heiji relented to it.

The nurse just shook her head and wondered if all of these people that came in on Tuesday were crazy…and that she should have gone to law school like her father wanted instead of medical school.

* * *

Ran had closed her eyes when she entered, and was almost afraid to open them. When she did, she was a bit relieved.

Like Heiji had said, nothing was hooked up to him. There were a couple machines near him that she recognized as monitors, but none were actually in use.

As for Shinichi…

He was really there.

He had a bandage around his head, and a gauze pad on his right cheek. Going down, his left arm was in a sling and, by the position, appeared completely immobile. There was an IV feed leading into his arm, and a couple band-aids on his left fingers. Anything below his chest was hidden by the blanket.

And Shinichi…

…was fast asleep.

He had a peaceful expression on his face, his breathing soft and even.

Ran slowly walked over to his bedside.

He was pale.

But, at least he wasn't sweating, and his face wasn't flushed. The last times she had seen him, he hadn't been very well. But now, though he was injured, he at least didn't seem to be ill.

Ran sat down on the chair by the bed on his left side and placed a hand to his left cheek since his right had the gauze on it. His temperature seemed normal, which she found a relief.

Tears welled up in her eyes and started to run down her cheeks in steady rivulets. Her vision blurred from the tears as she stared at him. _Shinichi…_

For the second time that day, she was startled out of her musings.

"Ba'a'rou…there's nothing to cry about."

Ran bit her lip, then removed her hand from his cheek and saw his brilliant blue eyes staring back at her. They were half lidded with sleep and probably pain medication, but otherwise clear.

Shinichi smiled up at her. _I'm back…this isn't the ideal way to meet again, but…I'm with her as __**me**__…not as Conan._

"Who's crying…?" Ran protested as she stifled a sob. "Just because you suddenly show up after so long, covered in bandages…"

Shinichi frowned as his eyes shone with remorse. "Ran…"

"Idiot…"

Shinichi sighed, then smiled weakly. He knew she would start asking questions soon…but some, he wasn't ready to answer. Maybe when he was at least mobile and could run away from her fists…

Then again, she was less likely to deck him if he was injured…

Ran finally wiped the last of her tears from her eyes. "Are…are you back for good, this time?"

"Yea."

"Honestly?"

"Honestly."

Ran held his gaze, then nodded when she found the sincerity in it. "I saw Hattori-kun before coming in here."

"Yea?"

"Mm…the nurse that chased him down mentioned broken ribs. He didn't have a cast, but he was on crutches, too…"

Shinichi resisted a chuckle since it wouldn't be appropriate. _Snuck out again, Hattori? Did he see Ran? The poor guy…_

"He told me that him being there was related to you being here, too. But he wouldn't tell me anything else. Shinichi…what happened?"

Shinichi sighed and closed his eyes. He was exhausted just _thinking_ about it. Where should he start? There was _no way_ he was telling her about the Conan thing right now. He wasn't prepared for it.

Plus, he wouldn't be able to handle it if she walked out in anger and he couldn't at least go after her. Especially if she walked out mid-explanation without letting him clarify anything.

No…until he could move around on his own, he wouldn't tell her about Conan.

"Are you alright, Shinichi? In pain?"

Shinichi opened his eyes. "No…they have me on enough medication for that, it's amazing I can still feel my toes."

Ran didn't smile at the joke. "Shinichi…"

The other teen looked up at her seriously. "We went after an underground organization. We've been tracking them…that's why I vanished. There's a back-story to that…my 'disappearing act'…but I don't want to go into details on it right now."

Ran was about to protest that statement…demand that he tell her. But before she could, she caught a glimpse of weariness in his eyes. A hidden pain in the depths…a strange light that made him suddenly appear older than he was.

The girl started at that. Shinichi had always been more mature than the rest of their class, even when they were kids. But this was something beyond maturity. It was as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders…or maybe, it was the weight of memories that he wanted to forget.

"Okay," Ran finally said. "You don't have to tell me right now. But…will you, eventually?"

"Only because I promised I would tell you everything. It's just that right now…"

"I understand," Ran stated when he trailed off.

Shinichi smiled gratefully at her.

"Are you safe? Can you at least tell me that?"

"Yep. I'm safe." _Safer than I have been for months._ "We took them down."

"That underground organization?"

"Yea. Hattori and Kuroba helped…ah, Kuroba is someone we met along the way. Hattori had already known about the organization, and tried to get information. We got our final tip-off from the hands of an FBI agent presumed to have lost his memory. We had their location…and on Tuesday, that's where we were."

Ran's eyes were wide as she listened. The way he told it was in a detached way, as if he was talking about a crime scene. But she knew…she could see it. Lurking under the surface of his eyes.

The fear that came with it.

With whatever happened that landed him in the hospital.

"We infiltrated the building, and forced most of them into the hands of Interpol, with tousan in the midst as well. Some were knocked out and tied up in the building since they struggled. Then…Hattori and I separated. I went after the boss. With some help from Kuroba, we caught him."

It was awfully vague. Exceeding vague.

And Ran knew it. She knew he was leaving out details, and on purpose.

That angered her. But at the same time, she could understand. She knew, though he didn't show it, that whatever happened was bad enough to shake even Shinichi. And it was still very fresh in his mind.

"You'll tell me more, right? When you tell me the back-story. You'll go into the details you're leaving out…right?"

Shinichi stared at her in shock. _How'd she know…?_

For a moment, Ran was reminded of the look behind Conan's glasses whenever something surprised the boy. But that was silly…wasn't it?

"You promised to tell me everything."

Shinichi looked away. "I think you're better off not knowing some things…"

This time, she _did_ get angry. "No! You _promised_, Shinichi! I _want_ to know! You were gone for over half a year! I want to know _why_!"

Shinichi closed his eyes against her angry and hurt expression. "I'm sorry."

"You're 'sorry'? 'Sorry' doesn't give me reasons! 'Sorry' doesn't tell me where you've been while presumably tracking that organization! 'Sorry' doesn't change the facts, or alter a story! It doesn't make up for actions that were taken beforehand! Always running off…disappearing after the cases when you finally showed up again…"

Shinichi said nothing…though, he secretly worried how she would take the news about him being Conan if this was how she reacted to what she _was_ told so far…or, what she wasn't told. If she was this angry at a half-truth…what would she be like when he told her everything?

Did he even have the nerve to tell her everything, anymore?

He had promised…

Not much scared him.

The Black Organization had scared him.

When he first realized he had been shrunken, that had scared him.

Whenever he thought Ran was in trouble…that scared him.

Even the thought of telling Ran that he loved her scared him a bit.

But even bigger…even more than those fears…was that constant thought in the back of his mind that Ran would hate him for the rest of his life if (and now when) she found out the entire truth.

And that terrified him more than any of the above could possibly come close to.

"Shinichi…since when have we kept secrets from each other? Since when have we lied to each other?"

Oh, yea…she was going to hate him for sure.

His voice was slightly hoarse when he answered, but he still spoke honestly, "Since knowing back then would have put your life in danger…and that was something I wouldn't take the risk of."

That silenced her.

Ran had often thought of it…that Shinichi had gotten into some sort of trouble, and was hiding out. But each time she asked, he denied it…

A chill ran down her spine. _No…he never denied it. He always changed the subject afterwards. Then, his behavior…not having the police mention his name in the cases, disappearing right afterwards, even wearing Hattori-kun's hat that one time…_

"Ran?"

"I wouldn't have told anyone if you told me. How would they have found out?"

Shinichi would have shaken his head if he knew it wouldn't hurt. "Like I said, I couldn't take that risk. They had connections seemingly everywhere."

"They're not omnipotent. They were caught, weren't they?"

"After years of operating from the shadows, and over half a year of having not just Hattori and me after them, but also the CIA and FBI. And if that one agent hadn't distanced himself from the FBI with supposed memory loss…they'd still be at large."

"But, still…"

"There were a couple times they almost caught me. A couple times, I thought I was dead for sure. They almost found out…" Shinichi cut himself off.

Ran was silent a moment. Then, she reached out and took his hand. She would worry about the details later. She didn't even want to think that there had been a deadly crime organization after this boy, and that was why he had been so fleeting in the past half a year.

Didn't want to think what could have happened.

Ran desperately pushed back her tears.

They were lucky.

_He_ was lucky.

She didn't know the extent of his injuries…but they could have been a lot worse. Yet, here he was, a little worse for the wear but still alive.

"Ran?" Shinichi questioned as he opened his eyes with effort. _Damn drugs…_

Ran smiled at him. "Don't run off, this time…you have a lot of explaining to do."

"I can't run off even if I wanted to," Shinichi joked tiredly.

Ran noticed the lines of fatigue around his eyes, and the tone of his voice, and shook her head. "I guess not. I'll wait, then. What's a little longer? I can be patient."

Shinichi smiled softly, and gratefully. _But there's still…one thing. One thing I don't want to wait any longer in saying. Because I don't know if it'll still be the same once I tell her the truth about Conan._

"You're fighting sleep…get some rest. You look like you need it."

"Gee, thanks…"

"Of course."

Shinichi tossed her a dry look, to which she responded with laughter.

But he wouldn't close his eyes just yet. He couldn't. All the times he had been interrupted…every single time he returned and ran into a case before he could say it…

He knew he might lose his nerve once he told her about Conan. Not only that, but if his old luck came back and he was interrupted…

Here, there was nobody to interrupt them.

It wasn't the ideal place…telling her what he always wanted to say while laying on a hospital bed.

But, when was the right time? If his luck had anything to say about it, the right time wasn't at a fancy restaurant like he had wanted.

_I might not get another chance. I have to say it._

Oh, he'd say it again after he told her about Conan, but at that point, she might be too angry with him to really listen to anything else he said.

"You know, typically, one has to close their eyes to go to sleep," Ran informed him when he just continued to stare into space.

That snapped Shinichi back to the present. He wanted to go back to sleep…he was exhausted from his healing injuries. But…no. He _had_ to say it _now_. He wasn't able to over the phone nearly a week ago…but he had to this time.

"Say, Ran…there's something…I've known for a while, now. About how…we are."

Ran said nothing, but a blush started to rise to her cheeks. She just _knew_ what this was about. Feelings…she realized very well how she felt about him. Obviously, he knew the same thing.

The girl shook her head. "I know, Shinichi…"

"No…I have to say it. Actually _say_ it…"

Ran nearly laughed at the half somber, half pleading look on his face. If it was what she thought it was, she certainly wouldn't mind hearing it. "From a hospital bed?"

"What better time? You're determined to stay until they kick you out, right? And, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

Ran closed her mouth as she felt her heart beat a little faster in her chest.

Shinichi took a deep breath, then let it out. _Come on…you can put together obscure clues that lead to a rather intricate trick and boldly declare that. You can easily point out the culprit of a crime…you can at least tell this girl how you feel, Shinichi! Just open your mouth and say it!_

"Maybe…we should wait…" Ran said softly. "You're tired…and we both know what it is, and that it's mutual, so…"

"I love you."

He hadn't _meant_ to just blurt it out like that. He wanted to start out with some cool sounding speech, or make it a bit mysterious with some mini-deductions. He had sometimes thought of the scenario when he would tell her the truth. When he got his own body back, and was able to say it.

Saying it with so little abandon wasn't what he had in mind.

It was hardly romantic at all.

Ran must have picked up how he felt on his slightly flushed face, and started to giggle. Then, the giggles turned into chuckles, which turned into laughter.

"H-hey!" Shinichi stammered. _That_ hadn't been how he imagined her reacting, either.

"Wow…no prelude…just saying it straight out…!" though, she might have been laughing due to happiness. _He actually said it…he means it…_

Shinichi blushed a bit more. "W-well…you know, I was _going_ to recite this speech and all, but…! It's…the medication! That's it!"

That just made Ran laugh harder.

Shinichi decided he was better off with his mouth shut, and sulked.

"Aw, don't make that face!" Ran giggled and wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. She then squeezed his hand. "If you _had_ made a speech, it wouldn't be as sweet as this."

"Sweet?" Shinichi quirked a brow.

"It's just _you_. Completely you. So, you can stop pouting."

"I'm not pouting."

"You _so_ are!"

"Am not!"

"Are, too!"

"Ran…!"

"I love you, too, Shinichi."

Shinichi's mouth clicked shut, eyes wide. Then, he smiled softly and gave her hand a squeeze.

Ran squeezed back.

Then, Shinichi yawned and closed his eyes again, a smile of contentment on his face. Even if things went downhill when he told her about Conan, this was certainly enough for now.

Though, for some reason…subconsciously, he had a feeling that it wouldn't be as bad as he imagined.

The red string that tied them together wouldn't even be damaged.

How he knew, he didn't know. But as he drifted off to sleep, he knew he wasn't wrong.

_It'll be alright._

**THE END**


End file.
